A Story of Faith
by Kirsten Erin
Summary: A Christian girl with an ugly past joins the Justice League. And Flash meets a girl who changes the way he thinks- about everything. Will her faith carry them through even the roughest trials? Please R&R. Eventually Flash/OC. T for possible violence
1. Nowhere to Go

_**Author's note: This is my first story. I hope you enjoy it.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Justice League or any recognizable characters. Faith, Melinda and the thugs are mine.**_

**Chapter 1- Nowhere to Go**

Faith Holzer hurried down the quiet street. It always creeped her out to be out late at night. As she walked, she replayed the day's events in her mind.

_"I told you! I don't want you in my house!" her stepmother screamed._

_Faith's eyes filled with tears and she bit her lip to keep from breaking down, "But where will _

_I go?" she pleaded._

_"I don't know and I don't care!" the angry woman cried, "Go to someone who cares!"_

_Faith could no longer hold back the tears and her stepmother slapped her._

_"Get out of my house!" she growled._

Faith felt the tears stinging her eyes, but quickly wiped them away. It was no use crying out here. Moments after she'd left the house with only the clothes on her back and the contents of her purse, she called Ollie- most commonly known as the Green Arrow.

He had been a good friend of her father's, and had always watched out for her even after his death. This time was no different.

_"Ollie?" Faith spoke inter her cell phone with a sniffle._

_"Faith? What's wrong? You sound upset."_

_"My stepmom kicked me out. I don't have anywhere to go. I don't know what to do!" she _

_sobbed._

_"Hush now, Faith." he answered in that comforting tone he'd always used to calm her down,_

_"Dinah, GL, and I are on a mission right now but I'll meet you at 7th and 5th at nine,_

_okay?"_

_"Okay." she answered and clicked off the phone._

Faith took out her cell phone and read the digital clock.

"8:50. Only ten more minutes in this dump." she shuddered. Looking up she saw the small sign that indicated the street corner where she was to meet them.

"I only have to make it across this last street." Faith quickened her pace and was almost there when three thugs walked out of an alley.

Taken by surprise, Faith turned and crossed the street to continue her journey, she did _not _want to be near those guys.

She had just reached the street sign when something grabbed her wrist. Faith spun around to see the three guys standing behind her, the closest one with a firm grip on her wrist.

She quickly assessed the situation, the guys looked pretty strong and she did not want to mess with them.

_Well, isn't this just my day._

"Hello, Miss." the guy holding her wrist said with a smile that was less than friendly, "My friends and I won't give you any trouble if you just hand over the purse." He reached for it, but Faith stepped back.

The man's smile faded, "Look's like she's gonna try to fight." With that the other men stepped forward menacingly.

Faith twisted her wrist to loosen the man's grip and pulled free. Immediately, she shot up in to the air, but just as she thought she was free- one of the men grabbed her ankle.

"Looks like we got one with powers, boys." He pulled her down and the other two men both grabbed an arm.

It was no use, she couldn't get free. The apparent leader of the group, the one who'd previously had her by the wrist, pulled back and punched her in the stomach- hard! Faith doubled over for a moment, then lifted her head in time to receive a blow to the eye.

Faith crumpled to the ground as one of the men kicked her in the stomach. She curled into a ball as everything around her started fading.

Another kick went to her forehead and everything went black.


	2. Welcome to the Watchtower

_**Author's Note: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. Alot of stuff has been going on and this story kinda got pushed to the side. Thanks for all the reviews. Keep it up! For all of y'all who have been waiting- Here's Chapter 2.**_

**_Disclaimer: Faith is mine, so are the thugs. The rest, I'm sad to say, are property of DC Comics... not me._**

**Chapter 2- Welcome to the Watchtower**

"Faith! Faith!" Ollie screamed at the crumpled girl lying on the pavement. Dinah gasped and ran over to Faith's unconscious body. Ollie followed her with tears in his eyes, he leaned over her.

"She's breathing normally, but definitely unconscious." he assessed trying to remain calm while everything inside of him wanted to cry out. He lifted her off the ground and cradled her gently. Dinah grabbed a few items off the ground.

"Looks like she got mugged." she told him, surveying the ground covered by the contents of her purse. Ollie took a deep breath and tapped his comm. link.

"Jon, take us up."

* * *

Faith blinked her eyes rapidly as she awoke. She lifted her head to look around the room, but fell back against her pillow with a groan. Her head was throbbing. After a few moments of confusion, the events leading up to her unconscious state came rushing back. She gasped aloud.

"Faith?" came a voice from the foot of her bed. She looked up at Ollie and a smile played across her lips. He sat down on the eddge of her bed and pushed some of her dark brown curls away from her face.

"You really scared Dinah and I back there." Faith gave him a weak smile.

"Where am I?" she asked after a momentary pause.

"Oh, right!" he cried smacking his own forehead playfully, "Welcome to the Watchtower's Medical Bay!" he spread his arms out wide in presentation.

"Wow!" she said looking around. She pulled herself up painfully and laughed, I used to always beg you to take me here when I was younger!" Now look at the conditions that got me here."

Ollie chuckled and as he did someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." Faith answered. She gasped as she saw a large green man materialize. He hadn't even opened the door!

"Sorry to frighten you, Faith. My name is J'onn." his deep voice informed her, "After your accident your accident you are lucky that your worst ailment is a cracked rib and some scrapes and bruises." he paused. "Green Arrow has informed us of your situation and has asked that you stay in Black Canary's quarters while we prepare a place for you."

"Wow!" Faith answered awestruck. "Thank you for going through all that trouble for me."

J'onn smiled kindly, "It was nothing." He promptly turned and left the room without opening the door. This time it didn't surprise Faith.

"Well, it's almost time for lunch. Wanna go to the cafeteria with me?"

"Sure."  
Faith grimaced as Ollie helped her up. With one arm around her waist and the other holding her hand, the two slowly made their way.

* * *

When the two reached the cafeteria, Faith suddenly became self-conscious. She probably looked like a mess. Quickly, she shoved the thought out of her mind.

_There's no use worrying about something I can't change! _She glanced around and caught sight of Dinah sitting at a nearby table with someone else. She pointed them out to Ollie and he sat her down.

"Stay here and I'll get you some food." Faith turned her attention to Dinah and her friend.  
"Hey, Faith, how are you doing?" Dinah said as she looked her over with a worried expression.

"Okay I guess, J'onn says I have a cracked rib- but besides that it's all a bunch of scrapes and bruises. Nothing serious."

"Honey, we see the bruises!" Dinah's friend chuckled. "By the way, my name is Vixen. You must be Faith."

"Nice to meet you, Vixen."

Ollie came back with two trays, setting one in front of Faith. She bowed her head and closed her eyes for a minute, praying. Then looked up and began to eat.

"Man, you must be starved!" Ollie laughed as he watched her devour the fettucine alfredo he'd piled onto her plate.

Faith swallowed the bite she'd been chewing on,

"Well, I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday."

The three laughed and Vixen asked her, "How old are you?"

"I turn eighteen next week." she answered.

As Faith finished off her food, Dinah stood.

"Ollie, Vixen and I are going to show Faith to her new room. We'll see you in an hour or two, after she's cleaned up a bit."

"Okay," he answered, "Just be careful." he answered gathering their trash for them.

Vixen laughed, "Don't worry so much Ollie! She'll be fine!"

When the three reached Dinah's room, Faithwas glad to note that she was healing quickly and was gaining back her strength. Dinah led her to the bathroom and showed her where everything was.

"When you get done with your shower, we'll get you a nice change of clothes. Vixen just went to get some bandages to retape your ribs, so we'll have that too."

Faith nodded and thanked Dinah for her help as she left. She turned on the water and stepped inside, sighing as the warm water hit her.


	3. Introductions

_**Author's Note: I didn't want to wait to put up the third chapter, so I thought I'd go ahead and post it. I've already gotten the story written through chapter 6, so I'm pretty much just copying and editing when I type it up. Well, here's chapter 3!**_

**_Disclaimer:I only own Faith, the thugs, and Melinda. Get over it!_**

**Chapter 3- Introductions**

Faith stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. She grabbed a hairbrush and ran it through her hair as she inspected herself in the mirror. She had yet to see the damage done by the muggers. She stared at the reflection grimly noting that 1/5 of her body was bruised. Her face was pretty bad too. No wonder people were giving her weird looks when she was in the cafeteria. She was a mess!

Faith shook her head as she stepped out of the bathroom and into Dinah's bedroom. It looked like Dinah had left. She noticed a note on the bed withsome medical tape lying next to it. She taped her rib cage as she read the note.

_Faith,_

_I had to go for a little bit, J'onn wanted to talk to me. Here's the medical tape for your ribs and the closet's to your right. Fell free to borrow any clothes._

_-Dinah_

Faith turned toward the closet and looked inside. After a little digging she found a pair of jeans and a short sleeved shirtthat had a bunch of colorful designs on it. She decided she'd look around outside, she wanted to see Ollie anyways. She found the door and slid it open. Walking outside she wandered around a bit, taking in all the things to be seen.

As she came into a hallway with a glass wall that looked out at the stars, she couldn't help but be drawn to it. She leaned against the railing drilled into the glass structure and sighed. The view was breathtaking.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a young female voice spoke behind her causing her to jump. She grabbed her ribs grimacing as she turned. Sudden movement obviously wasn't a good idea.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. My name's Kara." said the blonde, blue-eyed girl about her age.

"My name's Faith." she answered.

"You must be new around here, I don't think I've ever seen you around here."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Faith answered, knowing that Kara was checking out her bruises.

"No, wait. Are you that girl that Green Arrow brought up the other day? The one who was unconscious?"

"In the flesh!" Faith replied and Kara giggled.

"What happened to you?" Kara asked with a concerned face.

"I was waiting to meet Ollie and got mugged by some thugs. No big deal."

"Wow! That must have been scary!"

"Not as scary as what you've probably been through. Aren't you Supergirl?"

"Haha! How'd you know?"

"It's not that hard to tell!" Faith paused, "Hey do you know where Ollie is? I was looking for him, but obviously I don't really know where I'm going."

Kara laughed, "Follow me!" she said as she grabbed Faith's hand.

Kara lead Faith through a maze of hallways and elevators until they finally came out on the Watchtower Control Deck.

Ollie turned and smiled when he saw the two.

"Hey girls," he said looking at the two of them, then turned his attention to Faith, "Looks like you've gained alot of your strength back." He said as he looked her over. Faith only nodded, though she knew she looked like she'd been hit by a train.

"Let me introduce everyone to you," he continued, he gestured to each person in time, "This is Diana, Princess of Themiscyra, more commonly known as Wonder Woman. You've already met J'onn. And this is Shayera, or Hawk Girl."

"Nice to meet you all." she answered.

"Well, I'm going to head to the gym. Faith, wanna come with?" Ollie said standing.

"Sure."

* * *

"How are you liking this so far?" Ollie asked as he ran on the treadmill. Faith sat on the floor nearby reading her Bible. She looked up and slid her pen into the crease to mark her place as she closed the book and set it aside.

"It's really cool." she answered, "And everyone's really nice. Plus Dinah got my Bible from the road when I was unconscious. Wasn't that sweet of her?"

"Dinah's a thoughtful one alright." he laughed as he heightened the incline on the treadmill.

"So," Ollie said after a few minutes of silence, "You never told me about anything that went on yesterday, with Melinda kicking you out, I mean."

Faith grimaced, she was hoping he wouldn't ask. Though she knew that would be too good to be true. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She sighed,

"Well, it all started when I came down from my room about 7:30. I was hungry and hoping to get a meal before going back to my room. You know how Melinda hates it when I come out of my room- something about me messing up the house or whatever. I was hoping to avoid her."

Ollie stepped off the treadmill and sat down next to her, leaning against the wall.

"Obviously, I didn't. I walked into the kitchen quietly and opened the freezer, hoping I could heat something up. At that point she showed up and slammed the freezer door shut. I jumped back and told her I was just going to get dinner, but she said she didn't want a rat eating out of her kitchen."

Faith noticed Ollie's fist clench at the insult. She smiled, at least someone cared. She continued her story,

"I started to walk back to my room, but Melinda grabbed my wrist and spun me back around. She told me that I'm a witch and she wanted me out of her house and that my witchcraft could go with me."

Ollie looked at her, his brow furrowed, "Did she figure out that you could fly?"

"No. That's the weird part. She said that whenever I was asleep that there was this big bluish-purple bubble around me or something. I think she's crazy!"

"Huh..." Ollie mused, "I wonder if-"

"Green Arrow," came a voice from the doorway. "J'onn said he wants you to see him about something."

"Thanks, Wally." he answered standing and helping Faith up. "Could you do me a favor?"

"I guess." the redhead answered dramatically exhasperated. Ollie just rolled his eyes and laughed.

"This is my friend, Faith. Could you show her to Dinah's room for me?"

"Yeah, what are buddies for?" he sped over next to Green Arrow and nudged his arm. Ollie laughed and left the room.

_**Author's Note: Please Review! The more reviews I get the sooner the next chapter goes up!**_


	4. Another Power

_**

* * *

**_

Author's Note: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming- I love to hear back from y'all! I hope y'all like the new chapter.

Disclaimer: Faith and Melinda are mine. The rest of the characters are owned by DC Comics. I know, you're dissapointed, but I'll try to cheer you up- :D ... Happier now?

**Chapter 4- Another Power**

Wally looked Faith over as she turned to face him. She had dark brown curls and matching eyes, though you could hardly tell if you were looking at her swollen left eye. He noticed she had bruises on her forehead and arms as well as cuts and scrapes, she also had her arm around her middle like it was hurt as well. He let out a low whistle.

"What happened to you?"

"I got mugged yesterday. Just a bunch of scrapes and bruises, though I do have a cracked rib."

"Oh, that sucks... So I take it that you have no powers?" Faith wrinkled her nose, she had _tried _to fly away.

"I can fly."

"Really?" Wally asked trying to picture the battered girl flying the way the other Leaguers did.

"Yeah, but probably not right now, I'm still kinda weak."

"Right." he answered. He sped around her and offered his arm. "We'd better get you to your room before someone else decides to attack you."

Faith laughed and linked arms with him as he lead her down the hall.

* * *

The next morning after breakfast, Ollie took Faith back to the Medical Bay for a check-up. After J'onn informed them that she could resume her normal activities as long as she was easy on her ribs and kept them taped, Ollie took her to the gym again.

When they got there, he showed her all of the equipment and how it worked. Certain machines were only for heroes with certain powers, and so on.

"Take it easy though," Ollie warned protectively, "you're still recovering." Faith rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at him as she mounted a trampoline. She figured she'd better make sure she could fly steadily before doing it over the floor.

As Ollie watched, Faith lifted herself ten feet off the ground. Then she climbed her way to fifty feet- near the ceiling. Ollie had told her that they made it like that specifically for the Leaguers who could fly, they needed plenty of airspace. Faith took full advantage of the open area as she soared through the air.

"So, you really can fly."came a voice from below. Startled, Faith spun around to see that Wally had come in. However, because of her lack of focus, she started plumetting toward the ground. She braced herself for the impact, but someone caught her. She looked up at Wally.

"Guess you'd better work on your concentration." he laughed. Ollie ran over thoroughly upset as he scolded Wally,

"Be more careful! You could have gotten her hurt!" Wally set her down and she almost collapsed, but Ollie caught her. "I think that's enough flying for today." He sat her down on a mat nearby and Wally sat next to them.

"I've been thinking," Ollie started, he paused and Wally took advantage of it.

"Uh-oh! Didn't J'onn tell you you're not supposed to be doing that! Bad for the brain." He tapped his temple with a smile. Ollie glared at him and he raised his hands in mock surrender, "Okay! Okay! Continue."

"As I was saying, I was thinking about what you told me, about Melinda and the bluish-purple bubble around you." Wally raised his eyebrows and looked at Faith, she shrugged and turned her attention back to Ollie.

"Maybe you have a power other than flying. A power like making force fields?"

"What?" Faith asked in disbelief. "How could I have a power that I don't even know about? And why would I only use it when I'm asleep?"

"Maybe it was because you didn't feel safe in the house when Melinda was there."

Faith paused, "That would explain why it never happened when Dad was around."

"I know it sounds crazy, but lets just try it out, okay?"

Faith nodded

* * *

Practicing how to make force fields was hard but with Ollie's help she finally got it down. Control and concentration were the key things they worked on and she was proud when she mastered it. Before they knew it, it was lunch and Faith followed Ollie to a table with two men already seated at it.

"Faith, this is John, the Green Lantern, of GL for short. He was the one I mentioned being on a mission with on the phone the other day." Ollie informed her as he waved to a man in green on his right. "And this is Batman- we call him Bats."

"Hello, Faith." the man garbed in black cape and cowl greeted her.

"Nice to meet you, Batman."

Faith bowed her head to pray, then began to eat, listening to the lively conversation between John and Ollie. After a few moments, Batman turned to her.

"How is your recovery coming along?" he asked. Though she couldn't see his eyes she figured he was probably studying her bruises.

"Fine, I guess." she said after swallowing her sandwhich. "J'onn said that I'd probably be sore."

"That's good." he answered, then added, "Congratulations on finding your new power."

"How did you-" Faith started.

"I know alot of things." he cut in before she could finish. She decided to drop the subject.


	5. Welcome to the Justice League

_**Author's Note: So I'm almost to the end of the chapters I've already written, but I think I've got a pretty good outline of where this story is going to go. For all of you who are wondering, yes, this story is going somewhere. Please R&R. I want to know what y'all think about the story so far!**_

**_Disclaimer: I only own Faith and her dad, not the entire Justice League. I'm not that_ _creative!_**

**Chapter 5- Welcome to the Justice League**

After a few days, people stopped asking about her bruises. Word about her had spread quickly enough and Faith was actually glad, because the questions were becoming a nuisance. Actually, her bruises and such were clearing up pretty quickly and her rib was feeling fine as long as it was taped.

When her birthday rolled around, Ollie and Dinah took her out to eat and she went shopping with Kara. It had been alot of fun for her. Ollie and Dinah had also been helping her learn to control her powers and how to fight. She was feeling pretty happy about things were going.

She thought about all this as she worked on her flying, then she heard a voice from below.

"Faith, J'onn says he wants to see you in the council room." Vixen told her as she descended beside her.

"Okay, but you're gonna have to show me thew way." Faith admitted with a laugh, "This place is still a maze to me."

When they reached the door to the council room, Vixen opened it and left. Faith turned to say goodbye, but J'onn's voice interrupted her.

"Faith, I'm glad you came." Faith turned and saw that all the 'Original Seven', as she had been told they were called, were sitting around a large round table and they were all facing her. It was quite an intimidating sight.

She stepped forward and into the room and the door closed behind her. She looked to her right and noticed Olli leaning against the wall with one of his big grins spread across his face.

_At least he's not intimidated by the setup. Though, he does know them better than I do. _She took comfort knowing that his smile meant something good was going to happen.

Wonder Woman began, "Faith, Ollie has informed us of your training in fighting and controlling your powers. In fact, we've watched a few of your 'lessons' and think you have alot of potential." Diana paused and a guy in red whose voice she recognized as Wally's finished it off,

"In other words, we wanna know if you'll join the Justice League." Faith was taken by surprise for a moment and then gathered her senses. She thought for a moment before answering.

"I would love to, though I'm not sure I'd do very well." This time a man in blue with a red cape spoke up. Faith thought for a moment and recognized him as Superman, Kara's cousin, also known as Clark.

"Well, we won't automatically start putting you on missions, but we will begin training you more intensely and you'll have some practice in the simulation room as well." Faith nodded, not knowing what to say. After a short silence, Wally asked,

"Are we done yet? I'm hungry!"

"You're always hungry!" shot the Green Lantern.

"Can't help it- super fast metabolism mean anything to you?"

Diana cut in, "If you have any questions ask Shayera or myself." Faith nodded and the group left. She linked arms with Ollie. She laughed as she saw Wally throw an old doughnut, apparently from this morning, at John. John threw it back, but Flash moved out of the way. Shayera stood in between them, "Can't you two at least try to make a good impression?" Though you could tell the question was directed mostly toward Wally.

"Nope!" he retorted as he chunked the doughnut at her.

* * *

"So are you excited about becoming an official League member?" Dinah asked the next morning. Faith was sitting on the couch reading her Bible. Dinah watched her scribble something next to a passage she'd just underline and set the Bible down.

"Very!" she answered excitedly. Standing she grabbed a little suitcase Dinah was letting her borrow. "Plus J'onn says my room is ready. I'm meeting Shayera to figure out a costume and a name for myself."

Dinah picked up some of Faith's clothes they'd bought for her and put them in the suitcase next to her Bible. Dinah looked Faith in the eyes and pushed one of her dark curls behind her ear.

"Your father would be so proud. " A tear slid down Faith's cheek as she responded,

"Thanks. I really hope he would be."


	6. Tearstreaked Memories

_**Author's Note: The chapters I'd originally written for 6&7 were combined and edited to make this one. The sixth seemed to mostly be off the subject and took up too much room.**_

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Justice League or any recognizable characters. I only own Faith, her dad, and sadly- Melinda._**

**Chapter 6- Tearstreaked Memories**

After about two hours with Shayera picking out a costume, Faith was exhausted. She held her new superhero outfit in her arms and her other things she had packed earlier as she walked through a series of hallways. Shayera had explained how to get to her new room earlier.

Faith could hardly wait to put the key in the door. It slid open and she gasped at the fully furnished apartment-like area. She had a bedroom, bathroom, closet and living area.

Faith carried in her things and dropped them on her bed. She excitedly unpacked them, setting them each in the proper place. Finally, she picked up her new uniform and hung it over a mirror.

The color scheme was a simple purple and white. It consisted of a purple skirt, tennis shoes and cat-eye mask. The shirt was long-sleeved and the left side had a large, purple medeival-looking cross on it. She'd made sure the outfit was modest, even asking the seamstress to let the skirt out a couple of inches before she'd wear it. She was pleased with the results. Tomorrow, she'd wear it to her first real training session. The seamstress also promised to make quite a few copies of it, so she would have plenty extra.

Faith plopped onto her bed as she grabbed her Bible from the bedside table. She flipped the beloved book open to one of her favorite passages, Hebrews 12. It was highlighted in pink and she read it over, taking the words to heart.

1Since we are surrounded by so many examples of faith we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up. 2We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of Him, so He endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought Him. then He received the highest position in heaven, the one next to the throne of God. 3Think about Jesus, who endured opossition from sinners, so that you don't become tired and give up.

Faith shut the book and knelt beside her bed. She knew she didn't always have to pray on her knees, but she liked to. It helped her focus and keep her mind on what she was saying.

"Lord," she prayed aloud, "help me to glorify you in everything I do. I really want to please you. Thank you for all the wonderful things you've blessed me with! Thank you for giving me this awesome opportunity to join the Justice League. Help me to be a light to others. Lord, you died for me even though you didn't have to- you did it because you love us. Help me to love others the way you love me. I'm going to fight for justice as a League member, the way it was meant to be. Give me discernment and the wisdom of Solomon. I love you Lord, help me to follow your plans."

* * *

Two days later, Faith formed a forcefield around Volcana and within moments her fire vanished and she fell, returning to the shape of a drone.

"All done." Ollie said behind her as the city faded and was replaced by a gray room. She turned to him, giving her a bright smile. _She has her dad's smile. _Ollie thought as he smiled back. Turning, he led her to a door and as she stepped out another hero took her place in the simulation room.

"Great job, Faith." Diana's voice came from her left. Faith turned as she continued, "It won't be long now before we send you on your first mission." Faith's eyes brightened as she thought of the idea of finally getting to do some good. Smiling, she tucked a stray dark curl behind her ear.

"You really think so?" Faith glanced at Ollie and he flashed one of his playful grins.

"You really are getting pretty good, Faith." he verified, "I may need to put in some extra time just to keep up."

"I'm sure!"

* * *

Faith flopped onto her couch. She'd just taken a shower and changed into a knee-length brown skirt and green top. She thought back to the time when Ollie had first joined the Justice League. Those were the good times- when her dad was living and Melinda was far from anyone's thoughts, or lives.

_Thirteen year old Faith looked out the window and shrieked with delight. _

_"Daddy! Ollie's here!" Twenty year-old Oliver Queen came up the walkway, but before he could knock, it swung open._

_"Ollie!" Faith cried as she jumped into his arms. He laughed and swung her around and then set her down, She looked up at him as he walked in. Finally she asked what had been weighing on her mind,_

_"Why didn't you tell us you became a member of the Justice League? I saw you on TV with Green Lantern yesterday." Ollie's eyes widened as he looked around in panic._

_"I...er...um..." he started, but Mr. Holzer cut her off._

_"Sorry, Oliver, I don't know how she figured it out, but she knows you're Green Arrow now. She's a clever one alright." Ollie smiled as Faith answered,_

_"Oh, I've known you were the Green Arrow for a long time. I just never saw a reason to tell you I knew. You guys talk about it when you think I'm not listening."_

Faith smiled as she remembered her father's playful frown. She missed him so much. He'd been her best friend for all those years, even after he'd married Melinda. A tear slid down her cheek as she thought about him. She'd never told her dad about the way Melinda treated her. He always seemed so happy when Melinda was around and she loved it when he was happy- even if that meant unhappiness for herself.

Ollie had always told her she needed to tell her dad the truth. He said she didn't deserve to be treated that way by Melinda nad that her father would put a stop to it if only he knew. She had almost told him, but then the accident happened.

Faith stood up and left her room as she wiped away the tears streaming down her face with her palms. She had to get away from her room and stop thinking about the past- it was too painful.

* * *

Faith sniffled a bit as she tried to regain composure. She took a deep breath and walked into a little lobby area with a bunch of tables and chairs. She spotted Kara and another blonde girl in the middle of a lively conversation and decided to join them. She pulled up a chair to their table and sat down.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." she asked. The two girls turned and Kara laughed.

"Of course not." she stopped, looking into Faith's eyes, "Are you okay? You look like you've been crying."

"It's nothing." she answered shaking it off.

"Are you sure?" Kara asked concerned. She could tell the other girl looked concerned as well.

"I'm fine." Faith answered calmly. Kara paused for a moment, then decided to start the discussion.

"Well, I don't think you've been introduced to my friend yet." she said to the girl she'd been talking to. "Courtney, this is Faith. Faith this is Courtney, also known as Stargirl." The two smiled at each other.

"So Faith, I hear you just became a member of the JL. Congratulations!" Courtney said. Kara quickly joined in,

"I know. I'm so excited for you. Did you get a uniform?"

"Yeah." Faith answered as she described it to the two blondes.

"Cool." Courtney smiled, "and have you come up with a name for yourself?"

"I'm sticking with Faith. Shayera said I could make a secret identity and disguise myself when I'm on earth, instead of making up a hero name. I think Faith fits me better."

"I agree." Kara added, "Well, what's your 'secret identity' going to be?"

"My name's going to be Aaralyn Jones. Aaralyn was my mother's name. I'm going to wear a blonde wig and get some green contacts as well."

"That's cool. Now I'll have someone who understands how annoying wigs are!" Kara laughed.

"Hopefully they're not too annoying!"

* * *

The next morning, Faith jumped into her costume. As she was lacing up her shoes a voice came over her comm. link. She jumped and searched the room for the voice, then realizing where it was coming from she tapped the small electronic device in her left ear.

"Yes, J'onn."

"Come to the control deck. You are needed."

Faith wondered what could be going on as she finished tying her shoes. Quickly she hurried off in the direction of the control deck.

"What's up?" Faith asked as she stepped out of the elevator.

"Supergirl is going on a mission," J'onn said gesturing to the blonde hero on his left. "She thought this would be a good opportunity for you to go on your first mission." Without hesitating, Faith answered,

"I'm in!"

_**Author's Note: This is my last pre-written chapter, so you're up-to-date with what I've already written. I'm working on what will happen and I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. More reviews will make me want to post sooner! :D**_


	7. First Mission

_**Author's Note: I'm happy because I surprised myself and wrote a chapter today. I didn't think I would have time, but I did. Yay! Guess I just love you that much! I've a appreciated all the reviews, keep it up! Let me know what you think!**_

**__**

Disclaimer: Faith is mine. I wish Flash and Kara were too... but everything besides Faith are property of DC comics. sniffles

**Chapter 7- First Mission**

"So what is our mission?" Faith asked as she and Kara flew down toward the teleportation area.

"Volcana's making a mess of a section of downtown Metropolis. Pretty much, we've just got to contain her and help any victims." Each landed on one of the blue circles and Kara gave J'onn a thumbs-up sign. Faith saw everything go blue and before she knew it, she was surrounded by tall buildings.

Faith took in the sight before her. Screaming people were runnning by her, she looked behind them and saw a building on fire, on the verge of collapsing A red-head, and by all means a fiery one, was working at shooting flames at the Metropolis PD.

"Faith, check the building for any victims and I'll take care of Volcana." Before she had even finished, Faith was in flight, eager to help. She flew out of Volcana's view and entered the crumbling building. Quickly, she gathered a few middle-aged business men and women together and ushered them to safety.

Faith then flew around the building to see how Kara was doing. To her dismay, Volcana had produced a large chunk of Kryptonite and was moving closer to Kara. Kara tried to fly but fell, all her power drained by the approaching radioactive rock.

Faith crept behind Volcana and created a forcefield around the Kryptonite, lifting it into the air. With a quick motion, she crushed the rock into a fine dust and catapulted it fifty feet in the air, where the wind picked it up and scattered it.

Volcana spun around angrily and shot a line of fire at her. She jumped to the side, barely missing the flame. Kara jumped up and hit Volcana with an icy blast, knocking her off her feet. Before she could react, Faith created an airtight force field around Volcana.

Suddenly, Faith felt a blow go to her middle back and she tumbled to the ground- losing her focus and therefore causing the forcefield to disappear. Faith rolled over and pushed her hair away from her eyes only to find Firefly standing two feet away from her. He had his flame-thrower pointed straight at her.

"Bet you weren't expecting that one, were you? I'm not supposed to kill you, but I'm sure my boss won't mind if you're a little scorched." Faith's closed her eyes as she braced herself and Firefly pulled the trigger. Instead of heat, though, Faith felt something scoop her up and the wind blowing at her intensely. When she opened her eyes, she was looking at Flash and Firefly was about one hundred yards away, cursing at his misfortune. Flash set her on her feet.

"How did you get here?" she asked in bewilderment.

"I was in the neighborhood." he smiled and was about to turn when he saw a flash of darkness and then felt a jolt of electric pain that hit his head and quickly spread through the rest of his body. He cried out in pain, noticing that Faith was reacting similarly. Both heroes fell to the ground, pain pulsing throughout their bodies. The world got foggy and went black.

Both could faintly hear the cry of Kara as she screamed,

"Flash! Faith!"

* * *

When Kara saw Flash grab Faith just in time to save her from a stream of fire, she sighed in relief. Though the moment was not long-lived. Volcana's voice broke through her thoughts as she threw a ball of fire her way.

"Where's your cousin, Supergirl? I much prefer his company to yours." she mocked. Caught unaware by the fireball, Kara stumbled back, then faced her opponent.

"Sorry, he's busy." she responded, "But my schedule's free." With that, she took a deep breath and blew hard. This coated Volcana pretty good in ice. She returned her gaze to her two friends in time to see them both grab their heads and cry out in pain.

"Flash!" she screamed, "Faith!" She quickly flew over as the two heroes crumpled and went still on the ground.

Throwing a glance over her shoulder, Kara saw that Volcana and Firefly had escaped. Too bad, she would get them later- right now, her friends needed her. Their screams of anguish told her that the pain must have been intense, because Flash had a pretty high pain-tolerance, for a human. Plus the fact that the two were lying deathly still only served to feed her panic.

"J'onn!" she cried frantically as she lifted her friends over each shoulder.

"Yes, Kara?" J'onn answered calmly.

"J'onn, get us up there now!" she yelled, "Flash and Faith are hurt- and I think it's bad!"


	8. Speculation & Dark Memories

_**Author's Note: So I spent like all day trying to think of what to put in this chapter, so I hope you liked the results! Reviews would be appreciated.**_

_**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are owned by the imaginative minds of DC Comics. I only own Faith, her dad, and the robbers. **_

**Chapter 8- Speculation & Dark Memories**

Faith bolted upright in bed. She was breathing hard and her eyes shot around the room in panic. She was in her bed in her room on the Watchtower.

"Thank God!" came a voice to her right. Faith turned, seeing Kara with a concerned, but relieved expression on her face. "I thought you and Flash were goners!"

"Wally!" Faith remembered, "Where is he? Is he okay?" she asked frantically.

"Right here." came a friendly, but tired voice from the dorr. The redhead was leaning against the doorframe, with a weak smile on his face.

"Why aren't we in the Medical Bay?"

"J'onn checked you two out and didn't find anything to worry about. He said to monitor both of you in case any of your conditions got worse, so I brought you in here. Though he and the others want to speak with both of you when you are recovered enough." Kara explained, "Flash didn't want to leave until you were awake."

Faith smiled as she eased out of the bed. Her legs were weak though and after taking two steps, they gave out. Wally was at her side in an instant and caught her, though she could tell he was only barely sturdier than herself.

"Always saving me, aren't you?" she smiled.

"It's what I do." he laughed, "We'd better go see J'onn."

* * *

Kara helped her friends get to the conference room. Both were dangerously weak, though Flash tried to hide it. The three entered and the door closed behind them.

"Hey guys!" Flash smiled weakly at the other founding members. He slowly took his seat, earning worried glances and raised eyebrows. He never did anything slow. Superman was the first out of his seat, offering it to Faith who looked ready to topple over. She slid into the seat offered and glanced at Wally in the seat next to her, he flashed a tired smile back at her.

"What happened to you two, today?" Superman asked cautiously studying the two heroes. All attention turned to the two of them. Flash spoke first,

"I don't know, Supes. Firefly was about to turn Faith into a superhero shish kabab. So I grabbed her and moved her out of his way." he stopped, thinking for a moment before continuing, "I was about to go back and finish him off, but there was aflash of darkness and then I only remember pain." He shrugged.

"This doesn't make sense," Shayera spoke up, "Where did that stuff come from? You were battling Firefly and Volcana- niether of them can create darkness."

"But they were working for someone." All eyes turned to Faith.

"What are you talking about?" Diana asked.

"Firefly let it slip." Faith explained to the curious League members "He said something about their boss wanting me alive, but he was sure tehy wouldn't mind if I was a little burnt."

"You dind't tell me that." Wally turned, his eyes wide. Faith saw a glint of anger in his eyes, but she sensed it wasn't directed at her because it was quickly drowned by a flood of concern.

"When was I supposed to?" she laughed. He shrugged and turned back to the table, though she could see the concern etched into his features.

"So someone's trying to get at Faith. Why?" GL asked.

"This is her first mission, why would someone have already targetted her?" Shayera added. Everyone was clueless.

"It could just be a Justice League grudge. Not necessarily against Faith herself, but she's a member of a group of heroes. She was just the first 'victim' that got in their way." J'onn speculated.

"Let's hope so." Wally added.

"Either way," Batman began gruffly, "Both of you need to be careful. Watch your back. If they're after you, they aren't done." Both nodded gravely.

"You two need to head to your rooms, now." Superman said kindly as he helped the two out of their seats. "Kara, help them get back. They both need some more sleep to gather their strength. We'll stay here to talk things through."

"Sure thing, Clark." she answered, wrapping an arm around each of the tired warriors to support their weight. Luckily their rooms were next to each other and she could get there pretty fast.

* * *

After Kara left, Faith slipped out of her costume and into some comfy pajamas. She slid into bed and was fast asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

_Fifteen year-old Faith was out on a walk with her dad. Ever since he'd married Melinda, the two hadn't had much time together at all. Tonight Melinda was going to be at work late, so they had the evening to themselves. _

_Faith held her dad's hand and nuzzled her cheek on his arm. She missed their walks._

_"Daddy, I love you."_

_"I love you too sweetie."_

_"Dad?" Faith asked after a pause._

_"Yes, Faith?" _

_"Dad, I have something to tell you." she stopeed him and pulled his arm to turn him around. "It's about Melinda." A look of concern crossed his face and he nodded for her to continue._

_"Well, it's just that-" before she could finish a series of gunshots pierced the peacefulness of the streets. The two turned to see two men in black robbing a convenience store._

_Suddenly, Green Arrow and Black Canary appeared in a blue streak and ran, with their backs facing Faith and her father, toward the two suspects._

_"Ollie and Dinah." Faith breathed and her dad nodded as father and daughter watched the scene unfold. _

_Black Canary shrieked at one of the robbers and he fell, clutching his ears. She quickly snatched up his weapon and smashed it beneath a black boot. Green Arrow was habing a bit more trouble than Canary. The robber dodged behind a car and began unloading his pistol on the hero in green. With ease, he dodged the bullets._

_Faith shrieked as she realized that those same bullets were headed their way._

_"Daddy, duck!" she managed as she dropped onto the pavement. Her father wasn't so lucky. With a grunt, he clutched his abdomen and fell forward onto his knees. Blood began to spill through his fingers as Faith watched in horror._

_"Daddy!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Don't die!" she continued screaming as her father fell back and his eyes closed._

_"No!" she whispered._

_She felt a sharp pain in her head and it swept through her whole body. In pain, she screamed at the top of her lungs until everything went black._


	9. Only A Nightmare

_**Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. This chapter was alot easier for me to write, because I already had the idea in my head. Please read & review and make me want to post the next chapter even sooner!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Wally or the other DC characters. I only own Faith and her dad.**_

_**Warning: A bit of a spoiler for "Only a Dream" and "Divided We Fall".**_

**Chapter 9- Only a Nightmare**

"Faith! Faith! Wake up!" a familiar voice urged through the veil of darkness. The pain slowly began ebbing away as she opened her eyes. She was in her room being shaken awake by Wally. Tears were streaming down her face and her bedsheets were tangled all around her.

"What are you doing in here?" Faith asked, suprised to see him sitting on the edge of her bed. She glanced over at the clock which read 3:30 am.

"You were screaming bloody murder!" he answered, "Well, at first you were just yelling and crying and then it changed to blodd-curdling screams."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to wake you up." she said apologetically, sitting up and leaning back against her pillows.

"It's okay." he assured her, "I was already awake. I had a nightmare, too."

"Really?" she thought back to the dream, "Mine was more of a memory. Though the ending was different." Wally's eyes were wandering around the room, but quickly turned back to her with interest.

"How was it different?"

"Well my dream was about when my dad died." she said, Wally saw pain flash across her eyes as a tear slid down her face. She took a deep breath, "But it ended whith a sharp pain that hit my head and travelled down through my body. In real life, I got shot in the shoulder. Not my head."

"You've been shot before?"

"Yeah." she answered as she pulled at the right side of her collar. She moved it aside and Wally saw the scar where the bullet had entered.

"Whoa." he said suprised, "That must have been painful." She shrugged. He'd never been shot, himself. He was too quick and usually able to dodge bullets before they could reach him. Though, he'd had alot of other things happen to him that Faith probably woudn't be able to imagine either. Moving from the bed to the chair beside it, he realized that she'd had a pretty hard life. Not as a hero, like with him, but as a person. The thought upset him.

The two sat in silence for a few moments before Wally spoke up,

"Was the pain that you felt in your dream somewhat familiar?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I can't quite place it." suddenly her eyes widened and she gasped. "It's that same pain. The one we both felt after the flash of darkness today!" she looked at him with a worried expression.

"I thought so. It's how my nightmare ended as well, and mine was a memory. These walls are so close to being soundproof, I probably wouldn't have heard you if I hadn't already been awake." he didn't want to tell her that he'd fallen out of bed and hit his head on the bedside table while writhing in pain before he'd woken up.

"What does it mean, then?" Faith asked worriedly.

"I don't know." he said, standing up to stretch. "We'll have to ask J'onn in the morning." Faith suddenly realized how tired he looked.

"Go ahead and go to bed, Wally." she told him as she got out of her bed and ushered him toward the door.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, tryingto stifle a yawn.

"I'm fine." she laughed. "But you look like you're about to pass out. I'll be going to bed in a minute."

"Okay." he said already half-asleep. She shut the door and went back to her bed. She let her mind wander to the real events of the evening her father died.

_Faith felt the bullet rip through her shoulder, grazing her collar bone as it passed through. She ignored that pain as she felt the realization that her father was dead tear across her chest. Her father, her best friend, was dead. _

_Ollie and Dinah ran over to her. Ollie picked her up and cradled her, crying as he spoke.  
"I'm so sorry, Faith! I should have been more careful, I should have cleared the area first. It's my fault! I'm so sorry!" he choked on his sobs as he held the wounded girl close. _

_Faith only shook her head 'no' as Ollie cried. She knew it wasn't his fault. He'd only been trying to help. She wept in his arms as he carried her to the ambulance._

_"Don't leave me!" she cried. Pain shot through his features, he was torn between comforting her and keeping his secret identity. He leaned in and whispered in her ear._

_"I'll be at the hospital when you get there."_

Fresh, hot tears sprang from her eyes and trailed down her face once more. She knelt by her bed and prayed. She asked the Lord to hold her, that He would heal her hurt from her fathers deaht. She prayed that He would help her sleep tonight and that J'onn would be able to figure out what was going on, in the morning.

As she prayed, she felt peace descend upon her. She prayed that Wally would have that same peace as she climbed into bed and turned out the light.

* * *

Meanwhile, Flash was tired, but he didn't want to leave Faith all by herself. She had insisted, though, and he didn't want to upset her. Going into his room, he flipped on the TV, hoping he could sleep. To tell the truth, he was still pretty freaked out by his own dream. He hadn't had a nightmare since his 'appointment' with Dr. Destiny. He'd never had that nightmare again.

This time it was a memory with a change in the ending, like Faith's was. It was from the time when the League had battled the Brainiac/Luthor combo a while back. Luthor had held a gun to him, reminding him of the Justice Lords and how in their world all he'd had to do was kill him and then Armageddon would break loose. Flash then escaped and ran as fast as he could, knocking chunks of Braniac out of Luthor until he finally knocked him onto the ground and drilled out ever piece with superspeed until every trace of Braniac is gone.  
"Guys, I feel weird." he'd said. Every molecule in him was shaking involuntarily. But this time, instead of being swept away by the Speed Force, he'd felt a sharp pain in his head that pulsated through him to his entire body. He'd cried out in pain and fell, writhing on the ground.

That's when he'd fallen out of bed and woken up.

Wally shut off the TV and got in bed hoping sleep would not evade him. After a few moments, he felt at peace and drifted off to sleep.


	10. Aaralyn Jones

_**Author's Note: I wrote this one earlier today, but I didn't get to post it until just now. So I hope you enjoy it! Please Read and Review!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the Justice League or any recognizable characters, I do own Faith, Deborah, John and the 'elderly gentleman'. **_

**Chapter 10- Aaralyn Jones**

"I don't know." J'onn said thoughtfully leaning back in his chair. "It seems to have some connection with that flash of darkness you experienced, but beyonde that I cannot say." Wally groaned.

"So you can't help us?" Faith asked.

"No, not unless some new information develops." J'onn answered.

"Thanks anyway, J'onn." Flash answered and the two left.

"What are we gonna do, Wally, wait for another attack of pain?"

"Well, I'm not just going to sit around her and wait for one. I'm going to work and afterward I'm going to go check out the crime scene, see if I can find anything."

"Work?" Faith asked, "Where do you work?"

"Central City PD." he answered with a grin.

"_You're_ a policeman?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A forensic scientist." he answered. "Gotta go!" With that, he sped off toward the transporter deck.

_A forensic scientist?_ she thought laughing, _Figures!_

Faith turned the corner on the way to her room and almost ran right into Olli.

"Faith, I heard about your first mission." he smiled, "You did pretty good there for a while."

"Yeah, but they got away." she didn't want to bring up the dark flash unless he knew already.

"That's okay. We win some, we lose some." he paused. "I also heard about the incident at the end. I've asked J'onn not to put you on any more assignments for a while."

"What?!" Faith nearly screamed.

"It's too dangerous and you're obviously not ready." Ollie answered.

"Hey, what happened to 'We win some, we lose some'? And, excuse me, but wasn't one of the Original Seven hit by the dark flash as well? Besides, I'm here in one piece, aren't I?" she countered.

"Wally can take care of himself."

"And I can't? I'm eighteen, Ollie, and I know what I'm doing. I know the risks!"

"I can't lose you too!" Ollie practically yelled. Faith stepped back. So that's what he was worried about...

"Ollie," she said softly. "My dad's death was not your fault. And I know you want to protect me, big brother's do that. But I can take care of myself."

"You aren't going on any more missions until I say it's okay. That's final." he said firmly and left.

* * *

Faith ran into her room, filled with anger.

_How could he think I can't take care of myself? I'm not just going to sit by while everyone else saves the world. Plus I want to get to the bottom of this stupid dark flash thing._

Suddenly, Faith had an idea. She changed out of her uniform and into a gray knee-length skirt and dark green, long-sleeve shirt. She pulled on her wig and put in her contacts. Looking into the mirror, she studied herself. Instead of long dark curls that fell to the middle of her back, she now had straight blonde hair that barely touched her shoulders. Instead of brown eyes, she had green. She pulled on some white shoes and slipped her uniform into her bag that was more like a small backpack.

_Just in case there's trouble. _she thought as she headed out the door.

She made her way to the the trasporter deck and hid behind a corner. Peeking around, she checked for Ollie or J'onn. All clear. She walked over to the man currently controlling the deck.

"Where to, miss?" he asked, turning nobs and dials.

"Central City." she answered, stepping on one of the blue circles. "Sorry, Ollie, I've got to do this." she said to herself as a flash of blue filled her vision and she appeared in an alleyway. Stepping out onto the street, she looked around. Tall buildings lined the streets and people laughed as they spoke to one another. She turned to an elderly gentleman on her left.

"Excuse me, sir. Do you know wher I can find the police department?"

* * *

When she finally made it over to the Central City PD, she was worn out. Ploppng down on the steps, she pulled her cell phone out of her purse. The clock read 11:45.

"Maybe he'll be taking lunch soon." she said to herself. After a few moments, she walked in and headed toward the receptionist's desk.

"Hi, honey. What can I do for you today?" the woman asked. Faith smiled,

"I'm here to see Wally, he's a forensic scientist here?" she said with a bit of uncertainty in her voice.

"Ah, Wally West. He's a sweet boy, alright." the older woman laughed. "He shouold be down in a few minutes for his lunch break."

"Thanks!" Faith answered. She began to look around at the pictures on the walls- some kind of annual staff thing.

"If you don't mind my asking, how do you know Wally?" the woman said after a pause.

"Oh, we're just friends. We met a few days ago at a...uh, party. My brother is a friend of his." Faith smiled.

"Well, if he's only a friend, how would you like to go on a date with me tonight?" a dark haired man asked.

"No thank you." she said quietly turning back to the picture she'd been looking at. A few men started coming down the nearby stairwell, she noticed the redhead she knew so well was with them. The man who'd been speaking to her grabbed her wrist.

"Come on, baby. You look like a girl who likes a little fun."

"Leave me alone." she said pulling her wrist away. She started to turn, but he grabed her wrist again and twisted it, causing her to cry out.

"Leave her alone, John." Wally's familiar voice said behind her. Ignoring him, John pulled her close to him and grabbed her chin, making her look at him.

"You'd better watch your back, girl." he told her.

"How many times have I heard that in the past few days?" she said, extremely mad now. She pulled her chin away and stomped on his foot. He released his grip on her and she stumbled back a little. Angrily, he pulled his hand back and was about to hit her when Wally grabbed his arm.

"I said, Leave her alone!" he said forcefully.

"What are you gonna do about it, carrot-top?"

"Dude, you're in a police department. What do you think I'm going to do about it?" he answered. Defeated, he turned and stormed off, shoving Faith down as he did so.

Wally stepped over and helped her up.  
"Sorry about him, he actually lives in my apartment. Though I don't know why he was here in the first place." Faith smile gratefully. "What's your name?"

"Aaralyn. Aaralyn Jones."

"Cool name. I'm Wally West. It was nice to meet you." he turned and headed over to the receptionist's desk.

"Hi, Deborah." he smiled.

"Hello, Wally. I saw how you saved that lady friend of yours. That was really sweet of you."

"Thanks." he smiled. "Did you tell my boss that I was taking a half day today."

"Yes, honey, you're in the clear."

"Thank you." he smiled and left.

Faith followed him and caught up with him halfway down the street. She rubbed her wrist where John had twisted it.

"You okay?" Wally asked.

"I'll be fine. Worse things have happened." she cringed as she remembered the thugs.

"So where are you headed to?" he asked curiously.

"Same place you're going." she laughed. It was fun messing with Wally.  
"How do you know where I'm going?" he asked stopping in the middle of the street.

"You're going to Metropolis aren't you?" His eyes grew large when she said that. He pulled her into a nearby alleyway. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Relax, Wally." she laughed, "It's me, Faith!" she pulled at the underside of her wig just enough to let a few curls drop out. Then she tucked them back in.

"Faith?" he asked.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" she laughed.

"I see it now!" he exclaimed, then paused. "Man, first thugs. Now, John. You just attract creeps don't you?" she punched him playfully in the arm pretending to be angry.

"We'd better get going. It's a long way to Metropolis."


	11. Distractions

_**Author's Note: Hope y'all are enjoying the story. I've been trying to get up a chapter each day, in case you haven't noticed. So don't let my efforts go unnoticed. Tell me what you think.**_

_**Disclaimer: Faith and Jerry are mine. The rest aren't. Plain and simple.**_

**Chapter 11- Distractions**

As the bus came to a stop, Wally and Faith stepped out of the bus. The latter was clutching her stomach.

"Next time, I'm beaming here!" she said, "I hate motion sickness!" Wally laughed and motioned for her to follow him. Faith complied, tailing him through a series of turns until they came to teh burnt remains of a building structure.

"That's it alright!" she said. Wally looked around. "Let's check it out!" The two entered the remains of the building.

"Did you see anything suspicious when you were in here yesterday?" he asked, eyes darting around.

"No, none that I can think of."

"Check up there." he pointed to the upper levels of the building that were too shaky for him to walk on. She glided up and looked around carefully as Wally checked the lower levels.

"Who's in here?" a voice rang out. Faith quickly descended next to Wally on the bottom level, who had just stopped mid-stride. A man in a police uniform stepped out from around the corner.

"Jerry!" Wally smiled and laughed.  
"Wally? What are you doing here." the man asked, puzzled.

"Just checking out the scene of the crime, man."

"Who's with you?" he said, turning to Faith and raising an eyebrow.

"My name's Aaralyn." she said.

"And what are you doing here?" he asked sternly. Faith didn't know what to say.

"She's my girlfriend." Wally said, thinking quickly, he looped his arm around hers. "Just thought I'd show her what I do best."

"Well, this area is restricted and the structure of the building is highly unstable. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Jerry informed them.

"That's okay, we were going anyway."

* * *

"That was interesting." Wally said as they approached another building. It read 'Central City Public Library'.

"What are we doing here?" Faith asked, looking around.

"This is where we experienced the dark flash." he said. "Let's head up to the roof. Maybe whoever attacked us left something up there that will help us figure this out." Faith shrugged. It was worth a try.

When the two reached the rather large roof, they split up. One looked through the north side and the other, the south. Hundreds of appliances, as well as the doorway they'd come through took up most of the room.

"Man, what I wouldn't do for GL's ring right now!" he mumbled to himself.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, J'onn?" a gruff voice asked behind the control deck chair J'onn was in.

"Yes, look at this. Apparently, when Volcana and Fiefly burned up the building they didn't take anything. And as soon as Faith and Flash were down, they ran off."

"They're not the type to run from a battle." Batman observed.

"Exactly. And what about the information we got about their boss wanting Faith alive?"

"The fire was just a distraction."

* * *

"Flash." a voice said over Wally's comm. link.

"Yeah, Bats, what's up?" he asked, still looking around for anything unusual.

"We have some information on the fire. It was just a distraction. Whoever is currently employing Firefly and Volcana only staged the whole thing to get you guys."

_Uh-oh! _Flash thought, _That can't be good._

"Great!" he said exhasperated, "Why do you think he was after us?"

"Don't know. We're no closer to finding that out than we were before. It could just be a Justice League grudge, but it's still not safe for either of you until we figure this out." A scream came from the other side of the roof.

"What was that noise?" Batman questioned, "And where are you?"  
"Faith and Metropolis." he said as he ducked behind a large air conditioning unit. He started dodging behind other large objects as he headed in the direction the scream had come from.

"Faith? What is she doing down there?" Batman barked.

"Can't talk right now." he answered as he turned off his comm. link. Finally, he caught sight of her. One arm was restrained by Atomic Skull aned the other by Firefly.

"What are you doing up here, girl?" Firefly asked not too kindly.

"Just getting some fresh air. You know how stuffy libraries can get." she laughed nervously. Atomic Skull twisted her arm back causing her to cry out. Wally clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he watched, trying to think of a plan.

"I doubt it. Looking for something... that's what it looked like you were doing." Wally saw her dilemma. She couldn't get away without risking their figuring out who she really was. At a loss for words, she glanced around and made eye contact with him.

"What were you looking for?" Firefly said angrily, slapping her with the back of his hand. He had a firm grip on her wrist and Atomic Skull had one arm firmly around her upper arm and the other around her other wrist. Wally, now fully angry stood.  
"Hey, what are you doing to my girlfriend!" He yelled, hoping to distract them from abusing her. Atomic Skull turned.

"Aww! How sweet. He wants to be a hero! Too bad I have to fry you." he said shooting a green flame from the fire around his skull. Wally sped out of the way.

"You blinked."

"It's the Flash!" he yelled at Firefly who had just notice a dark curl that had fallen from Faith's wig.

"And look who he brought with him." He said, yanking off the wig, much harder than necessary.

"The girl!" Skull exclaimed. A malicious grin spread across his bony face.

"Well, now that you know- I'm getting pretty tired of being the damsel in distress." With that a forcefield originated inside of her and pushed out with such force that it knocked both villians off their feet.

"Whoa! Didn't know you could do that!" Wally said.

"Niether did I!" she laughed. Atomic Skull jumped up and Faith flew into the air. He followed her lead and shot toward her. She blocked a few of his fiery punches and kicked him in the stomach. His green fire grew larger with anger. Faith put up a forcefield as he backed her into the brick wall of a taller building.

"You can't keep up that shield forever!" he yelled angrily, pounding at the shield and causing the back half to dig into the brick wall.

Meanwhile, Wally had grabbed a ring from his pocket and in the blink of the eye, he was in his well-known red and yellow uniform. He figured that even though they'd seen his secret identity, he didn't need to let them get familiar with his face.  
Before he realized it, Firefly shot a stream of fire at Flash. It hit hard and he rolled onto the ground. Luckily, his clothes didn't catch and he shot back up. Firefly shot another round and Flash moved out of the way.

"Come on, Firefly. No cheap shots!" Wally sped over and grabbed his flame-thrower and knocked him out with it. "That was easy enough."

Faith was getting weak with the strain. Atomic Skull was right, she didn't know how much longer she could hold the sheild. Her eyes darted around and Skull noticed.

"Looks like you've got nowhere to go!"

"Oh really?" she asked. Suddenly, she dropped the forcefield and fell just in time for Atomic Skull to slam into the brick wall. She then flew to a level even with him and wrapped him in a forcefield instead, she spun around and threw him into one of the many AC units on top of the library. He struggled up and was about to charge her when he suddenly turned to ice and fell forward, reavealing a liquid nitrogen batarang lodged into the armor on his back. Batman and J'onn stood a few feet behind him.

Flash sped over with Firefly in his arms and dropped him onto Atomic Skull.

"Took you long enough to show." Wally said. The eyes of Batman's cowl narrowed, but J'onn answered.

"We had to find you first." Wally shrugged and Batman eyed Faith.

"Where's your uniform?" he questioned.

"About that," Flash cut in, facing J'onn and Batman. "They kinda saw mine and Faith's secret identities."

"What?" Batman said angrily. "Do you know what kind of danger you just put yourselves in?"

"Wait." J'onn said and the three looked at him. "I can erase their memories of this event." They all watched silently as he tapped into their minds. He stood looking troubled.

"What is it, J'onn?" Batman asked.  
"Their minds. I could erase this memory, but the rest were shielded. The wall could not be penetrated." he paused. "Though I was able to find out one thing."

"What?" Wally asked. A dark look crossed J'onn's face.  
"This whole thing is not just a 'League grudge'. Whoever it is wants Faith. And he'll do everything within his power to get her."


	12. Undercover

_**Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated the past few days. I've had quite a case of writer's block... where I keep getting ideas for the end, but not the part that I'm trying to write. Plus my days have been insanely full of stuff to do. So I hope you like this next chapter, though it's not as good as the other ones. Not much action or anything, but we'll get there eventually.  
Oh, and special thanks to Miles333 who's reviewed like every chapter! :P And also to Afalstein who's done almost as much!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Justice League or any recognizable characters. Faith and Deborah are mine, no one else.**_

**Chapter 12- Undercover**

Faith nearly fell over when she heard J'onn.

"So someone really is after me?" she asked in bewilderment.

"I'm afraid so."

"Great!" she said, plopping down on one of the large machines on the rooftop. "So what are we supposed to do?"

"First, we need to get back to the Watchtower before someone else decides to make an appearance. Nodding, Faith got up and grabbed the blonde wig laying on the ground nearby.

"Mr. Terrific, bring us up." J'onn commanded.

* * *

As the hour the group had agreed on to get changed and such ended, Faith headed up to the conference room. She noted that this was her third time in there since she'd been on the Watchtower. She walked in and the ohter three were already there. She stood awkardly for a moment, not sure whether or not she ought to sit down. Sure, they'd offered her a seat before, but that time she'd been to weak to stand. As if reading her mind, J'onn adressed her.

"You may be seated, Faith."

_He probably is._ she reminded herself as she sat in the seat next to Flash.

She looked expectantly at Batman and J'onn, but both appeared to be lost in thought. The silence hung thick in the room.

"Well, as entertaining as this discussion is- I personally don't want to sit here until the guy that's after Faith makes an appearance in the room. Could we hurry it up a bit?" Flashed asked impatiently. Batman glared at him.

"What are our options?" Faith asked.

"I believe that we should keep you undercover until we can find out more about this man that is after you." J'onn answered and Batman nodded. Faith bristled at the idea.

"I don't want to hide from this jerk. Why don't we just try to catch him before he can get me?" All three heroes looked uneasy at the suggestion.

"You mean, use you as bait?" Batman asked skeptically.

"Yes, exactly." she answered.

"No way!" Flash responded, "That's way too dangerous. If anyone were to slip up, you're gone."

"He's right." J'onn cut in, "You are going to have to stay undercover." Faith relented and dropped back in her chair. "The Flash will have to do the same for a while as well."

"What?!" Wally nearly fell out of his chair.

"Whatever that dark flash was, you experienced it too. It's no doubt a tool of the man who's trying to get at Faith. You've been affected by it and could they could try to use you to get at Faith with it." Faith smirked. Serves him right for agreeing with them.

"What about Central City? What if they need me?" he asked.

"We'll have someone take care of it." Batman answered in his usually gruff voice.

"Where am I supposed to go? I don't have a home on earth." Faith asked, suddenly concerned.

"Central City." J'onn answered. "Flash will need to keep an eye on you, just in case."

"Where in Central City?"

"Flash's apartment would be best."

"Absolutely not!" she firmly drew the line. "I do have standards, thank you. I am not spending the night at a guys apartment and I'm certainly not living their either." the room went silent for a few moments, everyone a bit shocked by Faith's outburst.

"The apartment across from mine is open." Wally suggested.

"I can work with that." she answered, gratefully.

"It's settled then. I'll make the calls." Batman said and strode out of the room.

"Won't they want to know why Batman wants an apartment?" she asked a bit confused.

"He has his ways." Wally answered with a smile. He helped her out of her seat. "Guess we'd better get packed."

* * *

Wally and Faith, the latter disguised as Aaralyn, were teleported into an alleyway with her two suitcases. Wally had insisted on carrying them for her and she gratefully accepted. He'd only had a small bag because most of his stuff was already in his apartment.

After getting the key, Wally showed her to her room and put her stuff on the couch.

"It's not as nice as the Watchtower, but I'm sure you'll adjust." he laughed. Still angry from the fact that she had to move at all, she only shrugged and began to unpack. He watched her as she moved through the room.

After a few moments she asked,

"What am I supposed to do all day? Just sit around?"

"Well," he answered, "Bats said I'm supposed to keep an eye on you, so maybe you could try getting a job at the police station. Maybe you could help out Deborah at the front desk."

"Might as well try." she shrugged.

* * *

The next day, the two went to the station together. Wally was right to think that Deborah might need some help and was quickly offered a job. She helped her with paperwork and took things to the other areas in the station so that Deborah wouldn't have to leave the front desk unattended.

_This isn't too bad. _she thought, _At least I've got something to do and I am helping people fight crime in a way. _

At lunch, she and Wally decided to try out a nearby restaurant called "Sally's Diner". As she walked in, Faith wondered why people couldn't think up more original names for restaurants. She smiled as she thought about it.

"So how was your first day of work?" Wally asked, looking at the menu.

"Pretty good. Deborah is really sweet, and it's nice to still help with fighting crime, even if I can't do it the way I'm used to." Wally understood.

"I know. That's why I wanted to be a forensic scientist in the first place."

The two had fun as they ate their meals. Faith laughed as she watched Wally eat ten hamburgers. He had to eat them at normal speed which thorughly frustrated him, and served to make her laugh uncontrollably at his growing annoyance.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.


	13. Peace

_**Author's Note: So I really like this chapter. I don't know if you will or not, so you'll have to let me know. It's more up my alley. :P Most of this is from Wally's POV, so for all of my fellow Flash lover's- enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: My characters- Faith, Jerry, Todd, and Sierra. Not my characters- Wally and Bruce. tear**_

**Chapter 13- Peace**

For the next few days, things were pretty uneventful. People from the station had finally stopped asking about Wally and Aaralyn's relationship. The two had decided to go with the dating thing Wally had told Jerry in the crumbling building Volcana had torn up. Especially sine Jerry wouldn't stop going on about,

"Wally always knew how to pick the grils. Of course, this is the only one I can remember being able to stand him for very long." This always earned a giggle from Faith and a scowl from Wally.

On Sunday, Faith got out of bed early. She wanted to go to the nearby church for morning services. She put on a dark green, long-sleeved shirt and slipped a dress over it that was sleeveless and made of sweater-like material. After putting on her blonde wig and green contacts, she grabbed her heels and Bible and headed out the door.

She stopped at Wally's door and began banging on it, being fully aware that he was a very heavy sleeper.

"What?" came a groggy voice from inside, obviously having just woken up.

"You're coming to church with me, remember?" a groan sounded off promptly from behind the door.

"Do we have to go?" Wally asked.

"Yes." she answered. She heard a few things rustle inside the room, before he appeared at the door sporting a dress shirt and nice jeans.

"You look nice." she complimented him as he shut the door.

"So do you." he smiled and yawned. Faith laughed,

"We have enough time to get some iced mochas on the way there." Wally's face brightened,

"What are we waiting for?"

* * *

Faith's heart lept as she walked into the church with Wally. How long had it been since she'd been to church? She missed it dearly.

Wally groaned internally as he walked in after her. The iced mochas he'd had this morning had brightened his mood, but not enough to actually enjoy this. He most certainly did not want to sit there and listen to some stuffy old preacher yell about whatever it is preachers yell about until their faces turned red. He could pass. But Faith had insisted on coming and he didn't want her to be out of his sight with that man that was after her still on the loose, even if she was disguised. Still, he couldn't help but notice the look of excitement in Faith's eyes.

_What's going on in her head? _he thought.

Wally heard music begin to play in the sanctuary and Faith grabbed his hand with a smile. Before he could protest, she was dragging him through two double doors and into the sanctuary. She led him to the second row on the far right side.

_Of course she wants to be in the front row! _he thought, mentally smacking himself in the forehead. Faith set her Bible down and slipped of her heels. She began to sing the words with the rest of the congregation.

"Where you go I'll go

What you say I'll say, God.

What you pray I'll pray.

What you pray I'll pray."

Wally awkwardly tried to sing along. He'd never been known for his spectacular singing voice and stumbled over the words. He couldn't help but hear Faith's sweet soprano above those around him. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she worshipped. Her eyes were closed and that smile or hers that he loved so much was brighter than ever as her face was tilted toward the ceiling.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

_That smile I 'love so much'? When did I decide that?_ he glanced at her again. _Okay, so it's a really nice smile..._

"I'll be right back." he nudged Faith. She nodded and turned back toward the front. Stepping out the side door, he found himself in a large hallway that seemed to be connected to the lobby they'd come in through. After checking to make sure no one was around, he tapped his comm. link.

"Hey Bruce, anything new yet?" he asked. Mentally reminding himself to use names that wouldn't draw suspicion if anyone overheard the conversation.

"No. Nothing yet. Have you still been having those dreams?"

"Yeah. Aaralyn too. Though they've died down considerably. The pain's not as bad and we don't have to be forcefully woken up anymore. We just wake up after a few minutes."

"Uh-huh." Batman responded. "What's that music in the background?"

"I'm...uh...at church." Wally answered running his hands through his red hair. Bats was so not going to let him live this one down.

"You? Church? You hardly seem the type." his gruff voice answered with more than a little amusement.

"Hey!" he answered defensively, "It was Aaralyn's idea. She's the one who insisted on coming here. And I couldn't just let her come alone."

"Whatever you say, Wally." The line went dead. With a sigh, Wally turned and went back into the sanctuary.

Faith seemed to take in every word of the sermon. After a few minutes of trying to find something else to occupy his time, he finally relented and decided to listen. Besides, knowing Faith, she'd probably quiz him on it later.

"We know that this war is not against flesh and blood, but against Satan and his demons." The preacher's voice broke through Wally's thoughts as he tried to make sense of it all. He saw Faith nod out of the corner of his eye. "Every dark and evil thing is the result of the Fall. Satan's going to try to bring as many people to Hell with him when he goes. So he tempts us and deceives us just as he did with Adam and Eve. We can't battle Satan on our own. He's too powerful for us. But when we've been washed clean by the blood of Jesus- we no longer are subject to Satan. We're no longer under his hold. He can't keep us as slaves anymore because the True King has come to claim his prize. All we have to do is accept the offer of freedom."

* * *

When the sermon ended, Faith made Wally come to teh back where guests were supposed to go . She smiled brightly as she met the pastor.

"I am Pastor Todd Newman." the older man informed her. "And this is my wife, Sierra." the woman nodded and smiled.

"My name is Aaralyn Jones. This is my, er, boyfriend Wally West." Wally smiled absentmindedly and shook the couple's hands. He laughed internally at Faith's reluctance to call him her boyfriend. She was like that every time she said it.

Faith continued to talk as Wally studied the tree. There was something about them that made them all alike. Something that caused them all to be the type of people you want to be around. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

"May the peace of the Lord be with you today, Wally and Aaralyn." Sierra smiled as they said goodbye.

_That's it! _he thought excitedly, _Peace! They all seem to radiate peace! _

Then another troubling question hit him.

_Why?_


	14. Italian Food

_**Author's Note: Sorry that it's taken me so long to update. I went on my youth groups fall retreat- "One Voice" this weekend. It was amazing and God did so much that my mind is still reeling from it all! This chapter's a bit short, but it sets up for some action. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: If I were the creator of DC comics, why would I be writing on Fanfiction? Does that even make sense to you? I do, however, own Faith and the waitress and the people you don't recognize from the comics.**_

**Chapter 14- Italian Food**

Wally was deep in though as they left the church. Realizing that Faith radiated peace wasn'tthe problem.He liked that about her, it was one of the things that drew him to her. He'd always felt at peace around her, especially after those horrific dreams at night. When he'd talk to her before going back to bed, he'd been soothed by her prescence.

What bothered him was that no one else he'd met seemed to have that same peace. But the preacher and his wife did...

Faith noticed that Wally seemed distracted but knew not to ask why. He'd tell her if he wanted her to know. It struck her how easily she read him. Her short time down here with him, in Central City, had caused them to really get to know each other really quickly. Shaking her mind of the thoughts, she grabbed his hand and began to lead him toward the middle of his large city. She knew he'd be famished with that super-fast metabolism of his.

Walking past the many restaurants served well enough to bring him out of his haze. She heard his stomach rumble and laughed.

"Hey, that's not funny. I'm starved!" he protested

"Well pick a restaurant already." she admonished.

He quickly opted for a nearby Italian restaurant and slipped inside the busy waiting area. After a few minutes, they were seated at a booth for two in a corner of the large room. A bread basket was placed before them and Faith grabbed a roll, then nodded to Wally informing him that the rest were all his. He didn't need much insisting.

The waitress gave Wally a funny look when he asked for five plates of spaghetti and Faith willed herself to supress a chuckle as she ordered some Fetuccini Alfredo.

"You get weird looks at alot of restaurants." she observed, finally allowingherself to laugh as the waitress disappeared.

"That's why I usually eat at home." he answered, scarfing down another roll. Faith leaned back in her seat with a smile.

"So," she said after a long pause, "How did you like church?"

"Snorefest." he answered with his mouth full. He was lying. He was actually pretty curious about what he'd heard, but he didn't want her to know that. He noticed a glimmer of pain in her eyes as she studied him. She quickly masked it again and looked away.

"I rather liked it." she said a bit adamantly as she turned back and looked into his eyes. She could tell he was hiding something, but didn't know what.  
Wally groaned internally. _Great, I've hurt her feelings..._He quickly changed the subject.

"I talked to Bats." he said, barely above a whisper after he'd looked around to make sure no one could hear him.

"What did he say?" she asked, her offense temporarily forgotten.

"Nothing much. The guy hasn't so much as sneezed!" he said, letting the frusteration rise in his voice. She raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed as he settled back in his seat.

The waitress showed up then and gave them their food, still eyeing Wally. When she left, Faith bowed her head and clasped her hands. Wally studied her as her lips moved in silent prayer. She looked up and began to eat, her now green eyes peering into him. He realized that he preferred their naturally dark brown color- missed it even.

After a few moments, Faith broke the silence.

"I wonder how Ollie took the news that he wouldn'tbe seeing me in a while. I can't imagine him happily agreeing to it." she said, a smirk playing across her face.

"He does seem to be pretty protective of you."

"Yeah, he's like a big brother to me. Not only that, he banned me from any more misssions and pretty much from Earth altogether. That was right before I met you at the Central City PD."

"Really?" he said with a mischevious look in his eye. He lifted another forkful of spaghetti to his mouth.

"I needed to figure out waht was going on." she shrugged, "And I wasn't about to let you have all the fun!" she smiled.

The two finished up their food and Wally paid for both their meals.

"You know, I do have a job now. You could let me pay every once in a while." she scolded him as he signed the check and handed it back to the waitress.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Aaralyn." He answered as he flashed a big smile. The annoyed waitress turned and left. Just as they were about to stand, the double doors of the entrance flew open. Three men in black, toting machine guns, stormed in. Volcana stalkeed in after them. The men fired a few warning shots into the ceiling as Volcana spoke.

"Nobody move!" she ordered as a malicious grin began to spread across her face, "And maybe we'll spare a few of you!"


	15. Bad Day

_**Author's Note: Since I waited so long to update before, and because I seem to be having an overflow of ideas today, I decided to apologize by updating twice today. Yay! Also, I just started another story in the Chronicles of Narnia section. Since I couldn't think of a better title, it's called "Eyes of Purple". Please check it out as well. Reviews would be rockin'!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or any of their characters. If I did, this would be a movie... that would be exciting.**_

**Chapter 15- Bad Day**

"Get under the table." Wally said through clenched teeth as he watched Volcana make her grand appearance.

"But, Wal-" she started to protest but was quickly cut off.

"Under. The. Table. Now." he demanded with an authority that was unusual for him. She looked into his eyes and saw his fear that he was desperately trying to suppress. Fear for her. He was afraid she'd get hurt. Resigning she slid underneath the table with her purse. Faith took comfort in knowing that her costume was inside the bag. Not that she'd be able to change into it under here if she was allowed. It just made her feel better.

"Call the Watchtower." Wally whispered as the events began to unfold around the restaurant. One man gurarded the doorwhile Volcana and the other two made their way toward a waitress. Everyone stayed in place as if frozen in fear.

Faith tapped her comm. link as she pressed herself into the corner behind Wally's legs. That would at least help her from being seen a little bit.

"Watchtower?" she whispered.

"Yeah?" came the reply. Faith automatically recognized the voice of the Green Lantern.

"John, we need help." she said trying to keep her voice low. "Wally and I are in a little Italian restaurant in Central City. Volcana jsut came in and is ready to toast everyone, if you know what I mean. Wally and I can't get away to suit up and even if we could J'onn told us not to. This is probably a way to get to me. Can you get over here fast?"

"Sure thing, Faith."

* * *

Meanwhile, Wally watched in horror as Volcana and her men heard the last few words Faith had spoken. Something about getting over fast. They'd heard the sound of her whispers and figured out where it was coming from. They were headed toward the booth now.

With one swift motion, Volcana lifted the table and threw it out of the way. Faith sat wide-eyed and in shock as she realized she'd been found.

"Leave her alone!" Wally yelled, deperately trying to stall. He stood in front of her protectively.

_Come on guys! Where are you?_ he thought.

"Aww, how sweet. Young love." Volcana cooed making Wally scowl. He waited to see what she would do, but suddenly felt someone strike him in the back of the head. Everything when black.

Faith watched Wally fall to the ground in horror. She hadn't seen the guy that had crept up to the left of her and smacked Wally with his machine gun. She turned her attention back to Volcana.

"No calling the police, honey!" she smiled, "Though I had hoped to get the Justice Leagues attention. Still, no one likes a tattle-tale!" She grabbed Faith by the neck and lifted her off the ground. Faith's legs were dangling and her heels fell off as she struggled. She tried to fly subtly enough that Volcana wouldn't notice, but her grip was already cutting off her breathing and she quickly lost the energy. She grabbed onto Volcana's hands attempting to breathe.

"This'll teach you a lesson." she laughed. Then she shot fire through her arms and into her hands. Faith screamed in agony as the fire burnt the flesh on her neck causing searing pain. They even scorched the collar of her dress.

"Stop it right there." the familiar voice of John Stewart rang out. Faith hardly noticed. Already darkness was threatening to overcome her. It was all she could do to keep it at bay. GL hit the fiery woman with a blast from his power ring and she dropped the girl in a heap on the floor.

* * *

As GL fought Volcana, the restaurant became a frenzy of scrambling people. Wally, who had woken from Faith's cries of pain ran over to her. His heart lept into his throat as he caught sight of the burnt ring around her neck. He effortlessly scooped her into his arms, worry seizing him as he ran through the back exit. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a green flame.

"Great, Atomic Skull is here! It's a party!" he said sarcastically. He tapped his comm. link. "John, Atomic Skull's here too. You need to call for back up."

"Thanks for the warning." his friend grunted.

Wally made a series of turnsi n the back allewas, making his way toward the hospital. He would run at full speed down long stretches, but slowed to a normal rate when approaching a corner in case someone was there.

It was on one such turn that he ran right into the person he did not want to see.

John. The very same guy who had threated Faith at the police station. And he wasn't alone. He had two other big guys behind him, they all looked pretty upset.

"This is not my day."


	16. Close Call

_**Author's Note: Here's another chapter with that creep, John. Make sure you don't get John confused with GL because they have the same name. Sorry, wish I'd seen that ahead of time.**_

_**Please review and tell me what you think.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own Faith, John, and his lackeys. The rest are DC Comics characters.**_

**Chapter 16- Close Call**

Faith stirred in Wally's arms as he stared at the three guys. John and his two buddies. His mind was thinking at mega-speed trying to formulate a plan. Nothing was working out for him. He wasn't weak without his super-speed, but 3-2 is hardly a fair fight and Faith didn't look so good. He took a step back as John spoke.

"Now look who we have here. Wally West and the hottie from the police station." he eyed the girl hungrily and Wally's arms tightened protectively. Faith's eyes fluttered open as he continued, "What's her name again?"  
Faith squirmed a bit and Wally gently set her back on her feet. She stood beside him, acutely aware of the pain searing around her neck.

"Aaralyn!" she answered with a fire in her eyes. "And you aren't going to get near me."

"We'll see about that." he answered, lust in his eyes. She shuddered involuntarily which only made John's smile wider. He motioned his hand and his two friends moved forward. Wally gulped, this was not going to be fun.

Kara showed up just as Atomic Skull and Firefly did the same. She groaned.

"You didn't tell me there were two of them." she groaned at her mentor.

"If I'd have known, I would have." he answered. "Besides, I'm almost done with Volcana." his power ring created a hammer and he slammed her into the ground. She fell unconscious. Turning, he went after Firefly.

Wally stepped in front of Faith and whispered over his shoulder.

"Run, Faith. Run now."

"But Wally, you can't use your speed right now and 3-1 is hardly good odds. I can fight. I'll help you."

"I'll be fine. These guys are after you, remember? I'll try to hold them back until I know you're safe. Then I'll make a break for it."

Faith sighed, ikinowing Wally was right. She turned and ran toward the alleyway. She had almost made it when a sickeningly familiar hand grabbed the back of her neck. Crying out in pain, she crumpled onto the concrete as John stood over her. He laughed meniacly.

"Looks like I found your weak point." he laughed. He grabbed her chin and turned her head to the side. A dark curl had fallen out of her wig. "What's this?" he asked her. He grabbed her wig and pulled it off much to hard. She screamed as her neck snapped back, causing the burn to sting painfully once again.

This caught Wally's attention and he turned abruptly at the sound. His eyes grew wide in panic as he realized that Faith was the form crumpled on the ground. He also realize her wig was off. His opponents took advantage of the momentary distraction. One grabbed his arms, holding them behind his back, while the other began a series of punches to his stomach and face alternately.

"Get away from me." Faith demanded weakly, the pain sapping her energy. Her long dark curls spilling past her shoulders.

"Faith!" Wally yelled, "Use a force field." he braced himself as he received another blow to the face.

She tried to pulsate one from her body, but her weakness prevented it. She didn't have enough power.

"Looks like you've run out of juice." John said as he inched closer. Wally could only watch in horror as John moved closer to her.  
"Don't touch me!" she tried to yell, tears stinging her eyes. She pulled her head away painfully.

"I'd listen to the girl." a voice said behind him. Faith couldn't see past this creep, but her heart leapt as she recognized the voice of the Green Lantern.

John turned toward GL slowly, fear in his eyes. GL create an orb around her attacker and brought him close to his face.

"When a woman says stop. You stop." he warned. Swinging the ring around, he slammed the man into the side of a building.

Meanwhile, Kara had gotten a hold of the two guys and bashed their heads together. Wally fell to the ground. He pushed himself up, knowing the bruises were starting to make an appearance and his face was swelling. He sped over to Faith, not botheing to conceal his speed around friends.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly as he helped her up.

"My neck is killing me." she said as a tear rolled down her cheek. She turned toward GL. "Thanks for saving me- twice." John nodded with a worried look in his eye. Wally put one arm around Faith's waist and the other held her hand as he steadied her.

"Volcana did this to you?" Kara asked as she looked inspected Faith's neck, careful not to touch it. She set her jaw angrily.

"And I'd do it again. Only, we've got orders to bring you alive."


	17. Afraid of the Dark?

_**Author's Note: So I wrote this one last night. I'm quite a night owl and didn't have time to do it today because I have a Romeo & Juliet collage due tomorrow that I'm desperately trying to finish. I figured I'd type this up while I'm printing pictures out. And just to let you know, I picked Justice League as the theme! So all the characters are Leaguers! :D  
**__**The hardest part is sketching the Watchtower for the background!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Justice League or any recognizable characters. However, Faith and Celesteon are mine.**_

**Chapter 17- Afraid of the Dark?**

"Who's your boss?" Kara asked angrily.

"Why don't you ask him yourself, Supergirl? He's right here." With a sweep of her arm, a man stepped forward. He had coarse, black hair and a similar beard. His dark eyes held a hint of red.

Kara shot up toward him, ready to fight. She was tired of this guy stalking her friends and wanted to put an end to him now. Before she could reach him, though, she hit some sort of invisible barrier and came plummetting back toward the ground, making a dent in the pavement.

"Get her out of here now, Wally." John whispered over his shoulder as he watched Supergirl pull herself out of the small crater she'd just made.

"Way ahead of you, GL." he answered, turning to Faith he scooped her up gently, careful to support her neck without touching or moving it. "Hope you don't mind my carrying you." she smiled weakly. There was no way she'd be able to keep up with him on her own. He legged his way out of the alleyway, or at lest that was his plan. As soon as he reached the end, they hit another clear barrier. Hitting it at that speed caused them to ricochete off of it and the two flew backward.

Luckily, John had been watching and caught them wiht his ring, leaving both unharmed. He set them back on their feet. Both turned to look back at the dark man on the rooftop, realizing they had no way to escape.

"I see you've found my little barriers. There'll be no escaping me this time." the man spoke.

"Who are you?" Kara asked, even angrier after her attempt at attacking him.

"My name is Celesteon. Remember it well." then he turned toward the two plain-clothed heroes. "You two will be coming with me."

"Don't hold your breath." Wally said, a protective arm around Faiht's waist. GL raised an eyebrow, but the redhead didn't see it.

"You don't have a choice!" the man boomed angrily. Wally glanced over at Faith. Her eyes looked hardend and angry- a mirror of his own emotions.

Celesteon spread his fingers and waved a hand across his little 'invisible box' containing the four Leaguers. Without warning, blackness poured from his fingertips and filled the alleyway. At first, Green Lantern, Supergirl and Faith tried to create light however they could. Kara turned her eyes a glowing white as she used her X-Ray vision, GL used his power ring to make himself glow and Faith made a small, glowing purple force field around Wally and herself. None lasted long.

It was as if the darkness was alive. It pushed through Faith and Green Lantern's shields and wrapped around each person. Faith grabbed Wally's hand as the darkness suffocated them.

* * *

Celesteon laughed maliciously as the darkness was drawn back into his hand. Four so-called heroes were lying unconscious on the pavement.

_Too easy. _He smiled to himself.

"Get the two I want." he ordered. Volcana flew down and picked the redhead and brunette up with disgust. She had to hold herself back from lighting them up like torches. She dropped them before her boss.

"I no longer have any use for you." he said. She nodded and flew up, shooting a flame beneath her.

* * *

Kara woke up and rubbed her forehead. She felt like a train wreck. She scanned the ground and saw GL laying a few feet away. Her memory came flying back at her and she jumped from the spot where she was lying. Cautiously, she flew upward, but this time no barrier held her back. Landing on the edge of the rooftop she realized it- Faith and Wally were gone.

She jumped back onto the ground.

"GL! Wake up!" she yelled, shaking her mentor awake. His eyes opened slowly and he sat up wiht a groan. "Faith and Flash are gone." The Green Lantern's florescent green eyes shot open wide. His eyes scanned the area and he realized she was right. Standing, he tapped his comm. link.

"Watchtower!"

"Yes, John." Batman's gruff voice answered.

"We've got a problem."

"What kind of problem?" he asked darkly.

"Faith and Wally have been captured, they're gone." A long pause was fed into the receiver.

"I'll be down in two minutes." the line went dead.

Kara sighed with relief. One of the world's greatest detectives was on the case. She knew if anyone could, Batman would find her friends. She tried to push the doubt out of her mind. Batman would find them.

He had to.


	18. Blessed Be Your Name

_**Author's Note: So it took me a while to figure out what to do in this chapter and I hope you enjoy it. Please R&R and let me know what you think. Last night I was at a City-wide Night of Worship, they sang this song and I thought it was perfect for the story.**_

_**Disclaimer: I only own Faith and Celesteon. The rest are property of DC Comics. The song is property of Matt Redman.**_

**Chapter 18- Blessed Be Your Name**

Within moments, a blue streak appeared at the end of the alleyway. It left and revealed Batman wearing a scowl as usual.  
"What happened?" he asked without skipping a beat. The Green Lantern told him about Faith's call and the events leading up to her and Flash's disappearance. Batman's scowl deepened as he finished the story.  
Immediately, he used his grapple to carry him to the rooftop. GL and Kara followed him.  
"Lantern, use your ring to check for traces of this Celesteon." he ordered. Batman scanned the ground as well.  
"All I see are footprints." John said. "They end right there next to the shape of what looks like two bodies, presumably Faith and Wally."  
"There's ash too. Volcana's." Batman added. "It looks like someone used magic of some sort. There's a faint ring around the three if you look closely."

"Well is there any way we can trace them?" Kara asked impatiently, wanting to help her friends already.

"Not from anything we have here." he answered, turning to face his two teammates.

"Then what do we do?" Kara asked, feeling a knot form in the pit of her stomach. GL answered for him.

"We find one of his lackeys."

* * *

Faith woke up with pain coursing through her body. She opened her eyes slowly, only to find that it was no use- it was pitch black. She knew she was too weak to even bother trying to generate a force field, so she decided that maybe if her eyes adjusted to the darkness she'd be able to see.

After a few moments, Faith realized that she still couldn't see anything at all. There was absolutelly no light. She started to panic when she heard a groan.

"Wally?" she asked hopefully.

"Present." he said, his voice sounding weary.

"Where are you?"

"Right here." She followed the sound of his voice, she didn't have to crawl far before she touched his shoe. They'd obviously been dumped pretty close together. He was leaning against a wall now and she sat beside him, though she couldn't see him at all. He felt for her hand and their fingers intertwined, their hand lay inbetween them.

"I'm afraid, Wally." she said after a few moments.

"It's going to be fine. Nothing's going to hurt you. I won't let it." She felt his grip tighten, sending comfort and strength into her body. She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"As long as nothing happens to you." Both took comfort in the nearness of the other and sat quietly until both were fast asleep.

Wally woke to the sound of someone singing. At first, he was confused. He'd forgotten where he was. Then he realized it was Faith who was singing. She sat beside him, fingers still intwined with his. Her sweet soprano filled the silence of the dark room. He began listening to the words.

_Blessed be your name_

_When I'm found in the desert place_

_Though I walk through the wildnerness_

_Blessed be your name_

_Every blessing you pour out_

_I'll turn back to praise_

_When the darkness closes in, Lord_

_Still I will say-_

_Blessed be the name of the Lord_

_Blessed be your name, Jesus_

_Blessed be the name of the Lord_

_Blessed be your glorious name_

_Blessed be your name _

_When the sun's shining down on me _

_When the world's all as it should be_

_Blessed be your name_

_Blessed be your name_

_On the road marked with suffering_

_Though there's pain in the the offering _

_Blessed be your name_

She started to sing the chorus again when a large bang sounded from some side of the room, causing both heroes to jump. Wally squeezed her hand reassuringly as a muffled, yet menacing voice yelld.

"Be quiet in there or I'll put you two in separate rooms!" she obeyed knowing that if she didn't eh would fulfill his promise. Neither wanted to be alone in this strange place.

Wally smiled even with the threat hanging in the air. Faith's song had lifted his spirit and made is heart happy in a way he didn't understand. And the feeling was odd considering their current predicament.

But one thing had changed and both knew it with a sudden clarity. After her song, the room seemed lighter. The darkness had faded some. While seemingly not a large accomplishment, or even a large improvement, it did wonders for their hearts.

Both felt hopeful once again.


	19. The Search Is On

_**Author's Note: So I'm sick today and had to stay home from church. :( It sucked, cause I really wanted to go. Luckily, I was really bored in my illness and wrote you another chapter. Hopefully, you'll enjoy and I'll feel better soon! :D**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters that DC Comics has already claimed. However, if they try to claim Faith or Celesteon I will firmly tell them to back off, cause they're mine.**_

**Chapter 19- The Search Is On**

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Kara said, not bothering to hide her frustration. The three Leaguers had been searching the 'ruins' of the Italian restaurant the fight had originated in. They had all agreed that it was highly unlikely taht they would get any information from professionals like Volcana, Atomic Skull, and Firefly- though they were willing to try if need be. So they'd decided to see if they could find something from the masked gunmen that had been with Volcana. So far, the search had come up fruitless.

Batman had requested that J'onn track their comm. links, but that wasn't proving to work either. Nothing was coming up. He had also tried reaching the two telepathically, but something was blocking it.

"Keep looking, Kara. We can't give up." GL said as he lifted some rubble with his power ring.

"I'm just so worried about them." she said, mostly to herself. John couldn't blame her. His hope was sinking too.

"Here." Batman said as he picked up a black piece of cloth with tweezers and put it in a baggy. Both heroes looked hopefully at him. "Follow me."

He pressed a button on his utility belt and the Batplane appeared overhead in a matter of seconds. He grappled himself up to it and climbed in. The two flying Leaguers followed closely.

* * *

Faith sat silently, wondering when they were going to find out what Celesteon was planning to do with them.

"How long have we been down here?" she asked, looking over where Wally sat beside her. True, she couldn't see him, but it was pretty much an instinct to face the person she was talking to. Besides, now that she'd sung, she could at least barely make out the shape of his body.

"I don't know. Long enough for me to be super hungry." Wally's stomach grumbled it's disapproval of the current situation.

"That's not very long for you." she pointed out with a hint of concern. It took alot to keep his super-speed body working.

As if on cue, the sound of metal plates clattering onto the floor broke the silence. A small slot in the side of the door had been opened and closed to let it in. Faith noticed that strangely, there was apparently no light from the outside.

"I'll get it." Faith said. She stood shakily and was glad for the darkness for once, knowing it would worry Wally if he saw how unsteady she was. Slowly, she made her way to the plates and brought them back. There were two water bottles and two large chunks of bread.

"Hospitable, aren't they?" she joked as she slid down the wall next to him. Handing him his plate, she tore off a little piece from hers and set the rest on his plate, once again thanking the darkness for hiding her deed. She took her water bottle and drank some after swallowing the dry bread. She knew that Wally would never accept her food if he knew she was going without. Her plan worked and he didn't notice as he scarfed down both loaves.

She knew that both portions wouldn't be enough for him. She swallowed the rest of her water, successfully quenching her hunger pains for now. She wished it were that easy for her friend.

* * *

"You what?!" Dinah yelled as she fought with two guys who had attempted to rob Star City Bank. Ollie was fighting two more and it looked like the rest of their gang was emerging from the vaults.

"I told her she couldn't go on any more missions." He dove to the right and rolled, shooting a net at the two he'd just been fighting.

Black Canary grabbed the extended harm of one man trying to punch her and twisted it behind his back. Placing her foot next to her hand, she released and kicked him into her other attacker. Both sprawled onto the floor, unconscious.

"She's not going to listen, you know. She's going to keep fighting she said as she and Green Arrow made their way toward the thugs. Ollie shot a smoking arrow into the midst of them, blocking their vision.

"How would you know?" he asked, irritated. A few of the men made it through the smoke and were headed toward them again.

"Close your ears." she said and he obeyed. She sent a sonic scream in the direction of the smoky haze. The guys were just far enough away that it wouldn't damage their ears too badly, but it would knock them unconscious.

"Because she's like her father and neither of them are one's to give up- even for their own protection. She wants to help people." Canary answered him as the police swarmed in. She faced Ollie. "How long ago has it been since you told her?"

"About a week or two."

"Have you checked on her since then and asked her about it?"

"No. I've been down here."

"Maybe we should check up on her." Ollie shrugged, there was nothing wrong with checking, though he didn't believe Faith would go against his will. She was like his little sister and would listen to her brother, right?

"Take us up, J'onn."


	20. Getting Filled In

_**Author's Note: Here's another chapter for my readers. :P I tried to get it up before Driver's Ed, but I didn't type it up in time. So here it is now! Don't forget to read and review! **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters previously claimed by DC Comics. I only own Faith, Melinda, and Celesteon.**_

**Chapter 20- Getting Filled In**

Ollie and Dinah checked Faith's room and she wasn't there. Not only that, but most of her stuff was gone as well. Ollie tapped his comm. link.

"J'onn, where's Faith? Her room looks like it's been cleared out." there was an unusually long pause on the line. "J'onn?"

"Come to the main conference room, Green Arrow. Bring Black Canary with you." Dinah glanced at Ollie, his jaw was set. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Maybe she just switched rooms."

* * *

J'onn entered the main conference room. Shayera, Superman, and Wonder Woman sat in their seats and he took his own.

"Are they on their way?" Superman asked.

"Yes." J'onn surveyed the worried faces. They were all concerned deeply about the two heroes' disapearance.

Superman was also studying his teammates' faces. He'd gotten the news from Kara only a few hours ago. The time between had been spent trying to get the other founding members together to discuss what to do. He hoped Bruce would come up with something soon, Arrow wasn't going to be too happy when he got here.

Speaking of Ollie, he heard his footsteps and Dinah's coming closer.

The Man of Steel explained everything to the two upon their entrance, after the two had been seated. Ollie went pale during the explanation and he saw Dinah slip her hand into the green archer's hand.

Ollie's thoughts were a mix of anger and worry- mainly the latter. Not only was one of his friends in danger, but so was the girl he thought of as his little sister. He grimaced as he thought about the poor girl. She'd gone through so much in her eighteen years. He remembered how Melinda had blamed Faith for her father's death. It had taken him over a year to convince the heartsick girl otherwise. Of course, he still hadn't shaken the guilt off himself yet.

"What are we going to do?" he said, trying hard to mask his emotions. It wasn't really working. He looked at Dinah, silent tears were running down her cheeks. He put his arm around her, trying to offer his strength- what little he currently had.

"We are informing the League of their disappearance in a few moments." Diana spoke up. "We'll all have to carry on like normal, but we want to let them know to keep an eye out for this Celesteon guy. We will send you to join Green Lantern, Supergirl, and Batman in the morning."

Ollie nodded. He saw the wisdom in letting both of them absorb what was going on with Faith before they went into action. The meeting was adjourned and he led Dinah to her room. He gave her a soft kiss before heading to his own.

He fell onto his bed, the unshed tears he'd been holding back slipped through as he heard Superman's announcement over the comm. link.

"Attention all Leaguers, The Flash and Faith have been captured by a villian who goes by the name of Celesteon and their whereabouts are currently unknown. Celesteon is working with Firefly, Atomic Skull, and Volcana as far as we know. Keep your eyes and ears open for any information on their location."

* * *

"Anything yet?" Kara asked impatiently for the umpteenth time. She was tired of waiting and doing nothing.

"No!" Batman answered, thoroughly annoyed at the younger hero. After much work, he'd found a hair on the cloth and was now trying to match it with someone's DNA on his computer. Even with his advanced WayneTech system, it was going to take a while to sift through the DNA sampls of billions of people. They'd already been here for hours. Alfred had even brought dinner down to them an hour ago.

Surprisingly enough, a few moments later, the computer beeped loudly.

"Joshua Harrington. Looks like that's our man." Green Lantern said, almost triumphantly.

"He's definitely got a criminal record." Batman speculated as he scrolled down, silently memorizing the information about the man. "Let's go!"

Kara whooped loudly, happy about getting closer to finding their friends. The Dark Knight gave her one of his infamous Batglares before continuing toward the Batmobile. Kara looked at GL and shrugged. He let out a low chuckle and smiled.

"Come on, Kara. Let's go find them."


	21. Tears & Promises

_**Author's Note: The inspiration for this chapter came to me earlier yesterday and I immediately wrote it down, but just now got it typed up. It's kinda heavy, but gets lighter at the end. Let me know what you think. Reviews are much appreciated.**_

_**Disclaimer: In this chapter the only person I don't own is Flash/Wally. The rest are mine. Mwahahahaha!**_

**Chapter 21- Tears & Promises**

Faith closed her eyes and was greeted once again by the nightmare that so often interrupted her sleep. Only this time was different- it was more vivid than ever before and the ending changed. Just when it would end before- something else happened.

_The electric schock took over her body with more intensity than ever before as she watch her father lay lifelessly on the ground. Then something new came into her already blurry line of vision. She turned to see Celesteon holding the unconscious body of an all too familiar redhead._

_"Wally!" she gasped through the pain. She tried to stand, but fell back on her knees as she gritted her teeth to block out that pain._

_"It's too late, girl." the man laughed as he threw her friendo nto the pavement. Wally groaned. "You were the reason for your father's death- and now you've killed this boy too!" Faith heard Melinda's words from so long ago tear through her mind._

_"It's your fault he's dead, you rat! You just had to drag him on one of your stupid walks. It always has to be about you, doesn't it?" _

_She watched helplessly as Celesteon pulled a long dagger from his cloak. He poised it above Wally._

_"No!" she cried as more tears poured from her eyes. The man flashed a sick smile at her and plunged the knife into Wally's stomach._

_"Wally! No! No!" she collapsed into the pavement, still screaming and crying his name._

* * *

_Flash felt the pain begin to attack him and he cried out in pain, struggling to stand up against it. Suddenly, a man appeared before him- Celesteon. But what held Wally's atttention is who the man had._

_Celesteon had in his possession a beaten and battered Faith, she looked even worse than when she'd been mugged. He also held a gun to her head. Wally fell to his knees._

_"Please, leave her alone." he said, trying to ignore the pain unsuccessfully. A tear leaked from his eye and made it's way down his ccheek._

_"Wally," the girl pleaded in a whisper. "You said you'd protect me. You said nothing would happen to me. You promised." Tears were streaming down both of their faces now._

_"Guess you weren't fast enough after all." Celesteon laughed as he pulled the trigger and the girl fell into a bloody heap on the floor. _

_"No!!!" Wally screamed as he fell on his face. Faith was gone and it was his fault. He lay htere sobbing, the pain consuming him. Suddenly, he heard a faint scream._

_"Wally!!" it cried. Faith! It had to be her. All at once he remembered that this was just adream. He crawled toward the crumpled form on the pavement, the pain weakening him with each motion until finally he grasped her hand._

Wally jerked into a sitting position. Ear piercing screams were being emmitted from the tossing body beside him. He realized their hands were still linked.

"Wally!" she screamed. She was sobbing and writhing, from what he could make out through the darkness, much like he'd probably just been moments earlier. He grasped both of her shoulders and shook them gently.

"Faith, wake up! It's just another nightmare." he cooed. Finally, her sobbing reduced itself to soft whimpering and sniffles.

"Wally?" she asked in a timid voice.

"It's okay. I'm right here." he soothed.

"Oh, Wally!" she cried, jolting up and burying her face in his chest. The sobbing began again as they shared a warm embrace. He struggled to keep himself from heaving sobs as well, though tears continued to pour down his cheeks as he wept silently.

He sat against the wall and held her so that her upper body lay against his. He supported her by wrapping his arms around her torso. She continued to sob.

Faith held on to Wally tightly and even though she couldn't see him, her heart had rejoiced when she heard his voice. She knew he was cryingtoo and she guessed he'd had another nightmare as well. She began to pray aloud and struggled to keep her voice from breaking as she whispered into the darkness. She knew Wally could hear her and hoped it would soothe him as well.

"Lord God, this is too much. It hurts. Remind us that we're not alone, because it sure feels like we are alone in here."

**You know my promises, speak them.**

Faith rejoiced as the Lord spoke to her heart and quickly obeyed. She began quoting verses she'd memorized after her father's death- her favorite verses, the ones that had carried her through the hardest years of her life.

"Exodus 14:14. The Lord is fighting for you! So be still!

Psalm 23:4-6. 4Even though I walk through the dark valley of death, because you are with me, I fear no harm. Your rod and your staff give me courage. 5You prepare a banquet for me while my enemies watch. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. 6Certainly, goodness and mercy will stay close to me all the days of my life, and I will remain in the Lord's house for days without end.

Psalm 32:7-8. 7You are my hiding place. You protect me from trouble. You surround me with joyous songs of salvation. 8The Lord says, 'I will instruct you. I will teach you the way that you should go. I will advise you as my eyes watch over you.'"

Wally listened in awe as the sniffling girl in his arms prayed and then began quoting Scripture. Each of the words seemed to bring strength into her words and her body and he felt the peace hit him with each one. He felt the weight of his nightmeare begin to lift as he listened to the girl's sweet words.

"Psalm 33:20-21. 20We wait for the Lord. He is our help and shield. 21In Him our hearts find joy. In His holy name we trust.

Psalm 34:17-22. 17Righteous people cry out. The Lord hears and rescues them from all their troubles. 18The Lord is near to those whose hearts are humble. He saves those whose spirits are crushed. 19The righteous person has many troubles but the Lord rescues him from all of them. 20The Lord guards all of his bones. Not one of them is broken. 21Evil will kill wicked people, and those who hate righteous people will be condemned. 22The Lord protects the souls of His servants. All who take refuge in Him will never be condemned.

Psalm 56:10-11. 10I praise the word of God. I praise the word of the Lord. 11I trust God. I am not afraid. What can mortals do to me?"

This went on until both Wally and Faith dropped their heads in sheer exhaustion. This time they were blessed with a dreamless sleep that was sorely needed for the two weary heroes.


	22. Mending Hearts

_**Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I had it written, but didn't get the chance to type it up. This is more like filler. Please R&R. I have most of the rest of the story planned out and there are only a few chapters left. 3 cheers for getting close to the finishing of my first fanfic! Without further ado, chapter 22.**_

_**Disclaimer: Obviously Faith and Mr. Mark Holzer are mine- and so are Joshua and Celesteon, plus the henchmen. The rest are DC characters, though I do wish they were mine!**_

**Chapter 22- Mending Hearts**

Ollie got very little sleep that night and what little he did was filled with tossing and turning. He got dressed early and came out of his room at five a.m. To his surprise, Dinah was up as well. J'onn transported him to where Supergirl, Batman and Green Lantern were.

The three heroes had been watching the house for hours with no results. No one had been home. Again, they'd had to deal with Kara's impatience as she thought of her friends being in trouble somewhere.

Finally, a small Honda Accord pulled into the garage.

"Let's go." Batman finally said. The three were standing in his bedroom moments later. A light flicked on and Joshua Harrigton came in. He set his briefcase down with a sigh. When the man looked up, he realized there were others in his room. He turned to leave. Yanking the door open, he had the scare of his life when two other heroes, Green Arrow and Black Canary, were standing there.

Joshua Harrington backed up slowly, hands raised and face paling.

"Wanna fill us in, Batman?" Ollie asked, arms crossed over his chest. Lantern spoke first.

"One of Celesteon's thugs." Kara grabbed the man's collar as John was talking and held him up, her eyes glowing red.

"Tell us what you know about Celesteon, where he is, and why he's kidnapped Faith and Flash." Kara said. The man laughed nervously, but tried to play it off.

"Now I think you know I'm not going to tell you that." The man was shaking. He was used to working with supervillians, he knew they weren't afraid to hurt people. He wasn't sure the heroes would be much different. They were mostly all metas anyway.

Kara slammed the man up against the wall.  
"Look, Flash and Faith are my friends and if you don't spill at the count of five, I'm gonna fry your brains!" She ground out through clenched teeth. "One...four..."

John stepped forward to stop Kara, but Batman put an arm out in front of him.

"Alright! Alright!" he cried in panic. "I'll spill! I'll spill!" Kara's eyes returned to their light blue and she dropped him back onto the floor. She spun on her heel and stormed toward the window. She sat on the windowsill and stared at the night sky.

The other heroes followed Batman to interrogate the man, but Ollie stayed behind. He gently put his hand on her shoulder and she didn't acknowledge him, she just kept staring at the stars.  
"I'm worried about them too." Kara turned back with unshed tears and wiped them away quickly.

"Of course you do." she answered, choking a little bit. She turned her face back toward the window. "I was right there when they got taken. I should have fought harder, done something different. For all we know they could be dead right now." she said, then whispered. "It's my fault they're gone."

Ollie turned to look at the stars as well. A million thoughts running through his head.

"John was there too, ya know."

"He doesn't have super strength. I should have been able to fight that darkness... Break the barrier... something." He glanced and saw a tear run down her face.

Oliver allowed his mind to travel back toward the death of Mr. Mark Holzer. Mark had been his mentor and best friend. Though the man had no powers of his own, Olli had always looked up to the way he carried himself and encouraged Ollie to fight for what he believed, never be afraid of those who wish to cause you harm. That man had been the first to find out who Green Arrow really was. The next two were Faith and Dinah.

He smiled and let a tear run down his face. That poor girl. His little sister. He would do anything to help her. The poor teen had gone through so much already.

He looked back to Kara, she was so vulnerable- even if she did have almost as much strength as her cousin Superman. Her friends had been taken while she was only a few feet away. He knew the feeling so well. Hadn't his best friend and mentor been killed by the same man he was supposed to stop. And now his little sister had been taken while under his care.

He looked back to Kara, both having tears streaming down their faces.

"Look, Kara. It's not your fault. I know how it feels to have someone take a dear friend away from you. It hurts, bad. But you've got to have strength now. Faith and Flash are still alive somewhere, not all hope is lost- we can't act like it is." he took a deep breath, trying to calm his thoughts. "It's not your fault they were taken. It's Celesteon who's to blame. No matter how many times I say it, you have to accept it before it will ever be true to you. But know that there is no way you could have stopped what that man did. We're here to fix what he's done."

Kara smiled and leaned into him for a hug. The two embraced for a long while. Ollie felt his heart heal with the words he'd shared with the girl. He'd been talking to himself all the while as well. He'd been carrying the weight of Mark's death for over two years now. It wasn't until he saw his guilt on someone else did he realize the truth.

Kara pulled away and Ollie wiped away her tears with his thumb. He allowed a small smile to creep across his face.

"Come on, let's find out where this jerk's hiding them."

* * *

Celesteon was working to hook up the many machines as quickly as possible. If he was going to do this, it would have to be soon- but he didn't want the henchmen messing with anything. This had to be done right.

His blood pumped at the thought of his plan. It would be so great, so sinister. The world would fall to their knees before his master in time, but the plan had to start with the girl and her friend. He frowned, the thought of that girl disgusted him.

He plugged some wires into an electric board and smiled as he realized everything was ready, his spine tingling in anticipation.

"All is ready." he said to one of his henchmen. "Bring the prisoners to me."

_**A/N: I had not previously written out the Kara & Ollie exchange, but it came to me while I was typing it up (I always write the first draft on paper, then type it up and post it) and I'm quite pleased with it. I didn't really like the chapter before. :P Let me know what you thought!**_


	23. Her 'Kind'

_**Author's Note: There are only a few more chapters left- probably around two or three. I'm sure y'all are eager to find out what all this is about! So here's the next chapter and it has another song! :D**_

_**Disclaimer: I own Faith, Celesteon, and his henchmen. The rest of the characters are property of DC Comics (except the 'masters' which you'll understand after you read- they are real). Anyways, the song is not mine either- "Your Name" is property of Paul Baloche.**_

**Chapter 23- Her 'Kind'**

Five men entered the room the two heroes had been locked in. Both stood and Wally moved in front of Faith a little bit.

"What do you want?" he asked the five making their way closer to them.

"You are coming to Celesteon." the lead man answered. "He is ready." Faith's heart lurched into her throat and she gripped Wally's hand tighter in fear. The men then grabbed each of them roughly and bound their hands behind their backs. They shoved the two forward and surrounded them.

Wally looked over at Faith as they walked, she looked like she was focusing on something and her lips were moving rapidly and wordlessly. She was definitely praying.

He looked her over. He hadn't been able to see her for however long they'd been down there. Her neck was still red and burnt and the collar of her dress singed, compliments of Volcana. She was barefoot and it also looked like she'd taken out her green contacts. He was glad, he missed her deep brown eyes. Her brown curls fell around her face as her lips continued to move silently.

Then she began to sing, quietly at first, but slowly and steadily growing louder.

_As morning dawns and evening fades_

_You inspire songs of praise_

_That rise from earth to touch your heart_

_And glorify your name_

_Your Name is a strong and mighty tower_

_Your Name is a shelter like no other_

_Your Name, Let the nations sing it louder_

_'Cause nothing has the power to save _

_But Your Name_

_Jesus in your Name we pray_

_Come and fill our hearts today_

_Lord, give us strength to live for you_

_And glorify your name_

She began to sing the chorus again when one of the guards hit her on the side of the head with what looked like a police baton. She fell onto Wally who was standing beside her. He tried to hold her up as best as he could as she stumbled, but it was hard with his hands stuck behind his back.

"Leave her alone!" he yelled angrily. The lead man laughed.

"You're not one to be giving orders." Wally seethed but had nothing more to say. He looked at Faith, the side of her face was already turning purplish and swelling, plus there was now a little blood where the blow had split some skin.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

"Yes, I'll be okay." she answered him, smiling softly at his sympathy.

Just then the two heroes entered a large room filled with machines and such. There was a platform in the center where Celesteon stood with a large grin plastered on his face. Both heroes minds flew back to their dreams from the night before and they glanced at each other worriedly. Celesteon laughed.

"What's this all about, Celesteon?" Faith asked.

"Why you, Faith." the man answered, still grinning. "My master wants you and your kind dead. Then the world will fall to their knews before him."

"Her 'kind'?" Wally asked skeptically raising an eyebrow.

"In the ranks of the Enemy. One of his followers." The dark man spat out. Faith smiled as the realization hit her and she spoke with a little bit of laughter in her voice.

" Lucifer knows I would not serve one so lowly as himself. I serve the One who has already defeated him. And even if he succeeded in killing all of my kind- your master would still have no more power than mine allows." Wally was thorougly confused.

_Well, at least Faith has some kind of idea about what's going on. Lucifer... I've heard that name before...._ He pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind as he listened to the other two.

"Silence! You will die in this very room and my master will be pleased at the sight of your blood."

"Your master is mistaken. The moment I die, whether it is in this room or not, I will be in Paradise with _my_ master- the Living God." Celesteon pointed a finger at Wally.  
"But your friend will not. You will comply with our wishes or he will be with _my_ master within the hour." Wally saw a look of fear cross her eyes as Faith's shoulders slumped forward in defeat.

"What do you want?" she asked weakly. Wally was worried now.

"Just do as I say and don't struggle. It's simple really. We just need to kill you." The two men behind her pushed her forward and she fell onto the floor. She picked herself up when the men untied her arms, her lips still moving silently.

"NO!!" Wally yelled, starting to panic. "Faith, don't worry about me! Get out of here now!" he struggled, but couldn't get any closer to her. His speed wasn't working, hadn't been for a while. He guessed there was probably increased gravity wherever they were. Faith normally wouldn't have fallen so easily as she'd been lately if she could still fly. Faith turned back to him.

"I love you, Wally." she said sadly and she turned to approach Celesteon.


	24. Why Me?

_**Author's Note: Sorry that I'm just now getting this up. Talk about cliff-hanger... though this isn't much better. Again there are only like two or three chapters left, so bear with me. I was at a college weekend at ORU this weekend and I got another idea for a new story (Ahh! My brain is on overdrive!) Anyways, let me know what you think of the new chapter.**_

_**Disclaimer: I only own Faith, Celesteon, and Joshua.**_

**Chapter 24- Why Me?**

"He wants to kill them." Joshua was saying. "I'm not really sure why. I never asked. It didn't really seem important."

"Where is he?" Batman asked, gruff and threatening as usual.

"I...I don't know. He usually had Atomic Skull or Firefly get us."

"Usually?" Lantern said skeptically, raising an eyebrow. Joshua's eyes grew wide as he remembered something, and quickly tried to mask it. Everyone noticed it and Kara's eyes turned red again.  
"One.." she growled. Remembering the threat, he added.

"Well, he communicated with them in a different way."

"How did he?" Canary asked. Joshua stood and walked over to his dresser.

"Firefly dropped this once. It's like a mini Bluetooth or something."

Ollie took the small device and recognized the device's distinct similarity to a comm. link, but somehow different- like it had more modifications or something. He clicked it on and stuck it in the opposite ear of his comm. link as both Faith and Celesteon's voices became clear.

* * *

The platform had two projections on each side and Faith took her place between them. Celesteon proceeded to bind her. Each of the projections had a long thick strap extending from it that he wound around each of her limbs.

Wally was desperately trying to fight the men holding him. They had gagged him before he could answer Faith's admittance of loving him, they now grabbed some thick cuffs and fit them around his arms. They were connected to a long chain that was firmly screwed into the wall.

_I love you too, Faith!_ His mind was screaming. _Don't die! Please don't die before I can even tell you! Please, I can't live without you! _Not that he was under the impression that he would live much longer after Faith was gone. He knew she wouldn't fall for that either. She was hoping that the Justice League would find him before Celesteon could kill him too.

She was stalling with her life.

He pulled harder at his constraints, the cuffs rubbing his wrists raw.

* * *

Faith clenched her teeth as he wrapped the material around her leg.

"Why me?" she asked after a moment.

"Hmm?" Celesteon asked smugly. She clenched her teeth harder in anger. Her heart was already flip-flopping in fear of what was about to happen, he didn't have to rub it in.

"Why did you choose me to kill? Out of all the Christians on this earth, why did you pick Faith Holzer?" Celesteon smirked at her question as he wrapped the last limb.

"Why not start with the biggest force for good on the planet? Pick the only Christian on the Justice League and kill her. You know I thought this would actually be hard!" He laughed, and with that he pulled a lever and volts of electricity shot through the material and into her body.

Faith let out long, piercing scream as the pain enveloped her and dropped to her knees in pain. She would have collapsed if it weren't for the straps holding her up.

Wally's heart lurched into his throat as he watched the girl he'd fallen in love with attacked by such unbearable pain. He kept yanking at the chain forcefully. He noticed the lights start fading from the amount of electricity and attempted to send a message to J'onn, hoping whatever had been blocking him had dropped.

_J'onn, help!_ Just then Celesteon shut off the machine for the moment and the lights brightened again. Faith's head dropped to her chest and she was panting heavily, focusing on breathing.

Wally knew she wouldn't last long.

* * *

Ollie's eyes went wide with horror as he took out the receiver and set it back on the shelf as if in a daze.

"They're killing her." he managed to whisper, desperately trying to hold back the tears. He looked away, panicking. Kara's heart stopped and Dinah gasped, putting a hand over her mouth. John put a hand on the green archer's shoulder and Batman's shoulder's tensed. Joshua didn't really know what to do, hoping that these heroes wouldn't go over the edge and kill him, especially Superman's cousin. He took a step back.

Suddenly, J'onn's voice came on over all the hero's comm. links.

"I've got a fix on their location."


	25. Prayers

_**Author's Note: Well when I was writing this, I stopped for a bathroom break and ended up falling down the stairs. I swear our stairs are out to get us!!! We've all fallen up and down them so many times. My mom's cat even fell up them the other day. :P Well, anyway, I'm excited about getting this story finished out so I decided to add another post.  
Oh, and hey guys, Today is National Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. So keep them in your prayers! Check out .com.**_

_**Disclaimer: I only own Faith, Celesteon, and his henchmen.**_

**Chapter 25- Prayers**

Faith was struggling to breath as her weight pulled at her bindings. She looked at Wally and they locked eyes as she tried to steady her breathing. Tears were pouring down both of their faces. She saw the love in his eyes and was once again sorry she'd be leaving him. She made up her mind then to try and live through this, or at least last as long as she could.

_Lord, _she prayed silently as she watched the red head desperately trying to get to her. _I don't care what happens to me. Just please get him out of here!_

Just then Celesteon pulled the lever again and Faith screamed in agony as the electricity hit every nerve in her body. She tried pulling at her constraints, but that didn't help. She focused on breathing and attempted to stop screaming.

Celesteon shut it down once again and her cries ended. Faith still felt the pain, but she was glad to be rid of the electricity- if only for a moment. Her chest was hurting badly and she clenched her teeth in an attempt to block out the pain.

Celesteon laughed as Faith struggled to make the air enter her lungs once again.

"You won't last another full round. Your heart can only take so much." He said coolly. He knelt down, looking her in the eye with a smirk. "Say goodbye to your friend."

Faith looked at Wally again as his face contorted into a mask of horror at Celesteon's words. He realized she was dying and the tears poured down his face at an even faster rate.

Suddenly, everything he'd heard Faith talk to him about Christ and what he'd heard at church hit him full force. At that moment it all clicked and he realized there was only one way they could make it out of this.

_Oh God!_ Wally cried out in his mind. _Please don't let Faith die! Please do something! She always told me that you are watching over us and we are your children. Please help us now. We need you! I need you! _

At that moment, Wally's cuffs fell off and clattered to the floor. He turned around in amazement and silently thanked the Lord for helping them out. Celesteon and his men were too busy watching Faith die to realize his sudden freedom. Wally crept behind the platform, searching the mechanics of the place to find whatever was powering the machine. He noticed a small black box in the corner attached to the wall. The inside had a switch and underneath it a label read "Gravitation Beams". Wally smiled as he pulled the lever and felt his super-speed return.

"Too easy." But his victory was cut short as another scream erupted from the platform.

* * *

"Of course he'd pick Central City." John muttered, more to himself than anyone else. The five were flying above Flash's hometown. He was carrying Ollie, Dinah, and Bruce in a large green bubble from his power ring.

Suddenly, Kara stopped in midair.

"What is it?" John asked worriedly as he watched Kara's face pale.

"Someone's screaming. It sounds like they're in alot of pain. It also sounds like... Faith." she whispered.

"Where?" Batman asked and Kara pointed. "Let's move."

* * *

Faith felt the electricity shoot into her once more and fought to stay conscious through the pain, gritting her teeth.

All of a sudden, it stopped. She turned her head weakly to see Wally fighting Celesteon before everything went black.

Wally threw multiple punches at the guy who had kidnapped them, but his strength was diminishing as his need for food grew.

He had shut off the machine that had been holding Faith, but he watched out of the corner of his eye as Faith slumped forward and his heart jumped into his throat. Celesteon threw a punch to his already bruised face as he used Wally's distraction against him.

"If she's dead..." he growled angrily, leaving the threat in the air. He advanced, ignoring his own pain as they fought. All he could think about was Faith.

Just then, his lackeys joined the fight and he was outnumbered. After a few moments, Wally finally fell. Celesteon kicked him in the stomach and laughed as a trickle of blood slid from the corner of the redhead's mouth.

"Once I finish you off, she will be." he mocked, referring to the threat Wally had made only moments ago. He was about to kick Wally again when a green light surrounded him.

"I don't think so." John's voice commanded as the other heroes ran into action as well. Ollie ran over with Batman to the fallen hero as Kara cleared their path, finally getting to vent her fury with her fists.

"Wally, where's Faith?" Batman asked before Ollie could say anything. Somehow he could tell that the Dark Knight was just as worried about the two heroes as everyone else, even if he didn't let it show.

Wally's eyes filled with tears once more.  
"Over there." he said weakly. Batman and Dinah got on either side of Wally as they struggled to get the speedster to walk. Ollie ran ahead.

Ollie knelt in front of his unconscious little sister and felt for a pulse while listening for her to breathe. Both were so faint that he'd almost thought she was dead. She wasn't very far from it.  
Wally watched Ollie unbind Faith as darkness crept into the edges of his vision. He struggled to fight for his consciousness as he watched the girl he loved being set free, but his body finally gave way and he collapsed onto the platform.

Batman picked up the redhead and set him on the ground next to Ollie. They all watched and grimaced as Ollie's unwinding of the material revealed spiraled electrical burns traveling up each of her limbs.

Faith fell onto him as he finally finished. He picked up his little sister and kissed her forehead as his tears fell into her hair. He turned to Batman and Canary as the former spoke.

"You two take them to the Watchtower for emergency medical treatment. We'll handle everything here." Batman grabbed his grapple gun and swung off toward the fight.

Arrow tapped his comm. link, the hole they'd made in the ceiling allowing the communication to work.

"J'onn. Four for emergency transport." Within seconds they were in the Watchtower. Green Arrow was holding Faith and J'onn quickly grabbed the unconscious Flash as they hurried to the infirmary.

"Please don't die." was all Ollie could say as the doctors took the two half-dead heroes away.


	26. Worried

_**Author's Note: Sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter up... I've been putting alot of thought into what I want to do. Plus I started a new story called **__**Bat for Dad and Birds for Brothers**__**. Check it out! Well here's the next chapter. I'm pretty sure there will only be one more chapter, but we'll see as I write it.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own my characters, DC owns theirs. Simple enough for ya?**_

**Chapter 26- Worried**

_"I will hold onto this hope that I have  
You gave me a promise  
__You gave me a promise  
__I'll push through this moment  
__I'll never give up  
__You gave me a promise  
__You gave me a promise."  
-You gave me a promise by Fireflight_

* * *

Wally woke up on a hospital bed in the Watchtower infirmary. His eyes opened slowly as he took in his surroundings.

_Why am I here? _He saw Ollie out of the corner of his eye and his memory came flooding back. He shot up to a sitting position, but immediately tegretted it, falling back ont ohis pillow as the pain flooded his body. Ollie looked over at him and gave him a small smile.

"Hey, Kid. J'onn said you'd probably wake up about now." he said softly.

"Faith?" Wally asked, sitting up slowly now. The green archer nodded toward the bed next to him. Wally felt the tears form in his eyes as they met the girl lying on the bed. The side of her head, her neck, and halfway up her arms and legs were covered in bandages. She was still in her dress from church and barefoot. Tubes ran up above her lip, shooting oxygen into her lungs and she was hooked up to a heart monitor. He looked up at it and it showed that her heart was struggling to beat at all.

"When is she gonna wake up?" he asked, turning to Ollie.

"They don't know if she will." he choked, looking away from him. Wally felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him and drew in a painful breath. He bit down on his lip util he tasted blood. He looked back the the battered form on the bed beside him. She had been so strong, now she looked so weak. His blood turned cold as he thought of the man who did this to her.

"Where is he?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"Prison." he answered, turning his eyes back on Faith. Wally sighed.

"How long have we been here?"

"Two days. You broke few ribs and fingers and your wrists were pretty torn up. J'onn says your healing is sped up by your superspeed, so that's why your wrists probably won't hurt too much anymore. The broken bones will take longer though. Probably a few weeks."

"And Faith?"

"Her hearts having trouble dealing with the amount of electricity that entered her body. She had a heart attack. The rest are burns, scrapes and bruises." Wally nodded solemnly, unable to take his eyes off the girl. He felt his stomach rumble and felt the pain of his hunger.

"You'd better go eat. Besides, the others will want to know you're awake." Wally looked back at Faith and reluctantly obeyed. Dragging himself off the bed, he wrapped his arm around his rib cage and trudged from the room.

Shayera was the first to greet him. She flew to him the moment he wwalked into the cafeteria and hugged him tightly.

"Shy...ribs...broken..." he managed to gasp. The winged warrior stepped back immediately

"Sorry, Wally. I'm just so glad you're awake." she apologized softly. She saw the sad look in his eyes. "Are you okay?" Wally bit his lower lip. He sighed.

"Just worried." he answered truthfully.

"Faith?" she asked quietly. He nodded. "We're worried about her too." she told him softly, rubbing his shoulder. After a few moments, she left realizing he needed to be alone.

Wally grabbed his food and something for Ollie and headed back to the Infirmary. He handed a hamburger to Ollie before eating his own food.

_How could I let this happen to her? I promised! I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to her! _he ran a hand through his hair and bit his cheek to keep the tears at bay. He wanted to do something- save her.

Hero or not, there was nothing he could do. His own power wouldn't, couldn't, work for her. He prayed silently.

_God, you helped me out before to save her. Will she really die now that she's free?_

* * *

That night, Wally read Faith's Bible cover to cover in three hours. He'd taken in every word and was working on processing the information now. Many things became clear to him, but others only confused him. He wished Faith were there to help him.

He stood over her bed and brushed a hand through her dark brown curls. His mind flew through everything they'd experienced together and how she'd changed him. He pictured the way she'd been in worship that fateful Sunday morning with her head tilted up to the ceiling and a radiant smile spread across her face. He smiled as he pictured it. Wally spoke slowly.

"Lord, as much as I really don't want to say this, I know that I have to." he took Faith's hand, intertwining his fingers with hers and took a deep breath. "Let your will be done, not mine. You know what's best for her and you will always be her first love- before me." he paused. "And you're my first love, too."

Wally had come to realize that loving God before everyone else only gives you the ability to love more abundantly. Faith was enough of a testimony to that.

He leaned down and brushed his lips against her forehead.

"I love you, Faith."

"I thought so." a weak voice said. He felt his heart leap into his throat as he looked down to see that Faith's eyes were open and a tired smile danced across her lips. He heard the heart monitor begin to beep at regular intervals and choked back a sob.

"Faith." he said quietly, hopefully, as a smile spread across his face and tears fell silently from his eyes.

"I love you, Wally."

"I love you too." he answered, his heart soaring. He wanted to scream, to dance, to cry, to celebrate- because the woman who made all the good things in life worth while to him was going to live. She squeezed his hand gently.

"You might want to tell the others."


	27. Epilogue

_**Author's Note: What did I tell ya? Our stairs are out to get us! I started writing this and walked to my room to get my cell phone and what happened? I twisted my ankle on the stairs. It'll be fine, but it still hurt. Anyway, here's my last chapter. It's been fun writing this and I hope you enjoy the last chapter! Now here's my question... do you want a sequel? **_

_**Disclaimer: The Justice League is property of DC Comics, not me. But I can claim ownership of Faith and the plot. Not that I get any pay for that.... Any offers? :P**_

**Chapter 27- Epilogue**

Wally didn't let go of her hand as he yelled.

"Ollie! Ollie, wake up!" Faith heard her big brother snore and smiled weakly. She was in alot of pain and exhausted, but ready to see her brother and friends once again.

"Oliver Queen!" Wally yelled louder. She heard a thud as Ollie fell out of whatever bed he was in. She presumed it was a cot.

"What is it, Kid?" he asked groggily.

"You might want to see this for yourself." She saw Wally smile as her big brother stood and gasped. She couldn't move her head because her neck hurt too much, but she could see him as he leaned over her bed.

"Faith?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Ollie," she whispered. Her eyes closed slowly, and opened again in her weariness. "I'm sorry I disobeyed you. It was wrong of me to-"

"No, Faith." Ollie interrupted her as tears streamed down his face. He ran a hand through her matted hair. "I shouldn't have made you stay. Dinah reminded me that you're too much like your dad for me to have expected that from you." Her eyes lit up at being told she was like her father.

"Besides, I'm just glad you're safe."

"You're the best big brother I could ever ask for." she told him.

"I could never ask for a better little sister."

Wally tapped his comm. link.

"J'onn, Faith's awake."

"I'm glad to hear it." When J'onn got there he told Faith to rest, but assured her that it wouldn't be long before she could get back on her feet once again. Faith promptly fell back asleep, but with a smile on her face this time.

When she awoke, it was to the familiarity of the faces she'd come to love. She was surrounded by Wally, Ollie, Kara, Courtney, GL and Dinah. Each were excited to see her doing better and she sat up in bed. She realized that Wally's hand was still linked with her own, reminding her of how he had held it during their captivity, lending her his strength. She smiled up at the redhead and he smiled back at her, his green eyes dancing.

"So are you two an item now?" Kara asked, with a smile playing across her lips as she watched her two friends interact. Faith rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling.

"I guess you could say that." she said as she planted a kiss on Wally's cheek. The room was somewhat quiet, though a smile graced the faces of all the women, GL and J'onn. There was also a grin on Wally's face and Faith could detect a smirk on the face of Ollie as he walked toward Wally. Putting an arm around him, he lead him off saying they needed to have a 'talk'. She watched as the two walked away. One holding his rib cage with a furrowed brow, wondering what this was all about; the other, wearing a smirk as he prepared to lecture the redhead on the ideology of "She's my sister. You break her- I break you."

Faith looked down at herself now.

"Okay, I really need to take a shower." she said, realizing she'd been in these clothes for a number of days.

"That's where we come in." Dinah smiled as she and the other girls helped Faith out of bed.

* * *

It wasn't long until Faith was better and able to resume normal activities. She was given the option of leaving active duty on the Justice League, being told that everyone would understand. She'd gone through a heck of a lot and they didn't want to overload her. She'd replied wholeheartedly.

"Are you kidding me?! Do you know how boring life would be after everything I've gone through?" she laughed. Then turned to a more serious note. "Besides, I want to do my share in helping the world become a safer place- I owe that to them." Wally had proudly wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled at her answer.

Afterward, Aaralyn 'Queen' moved in with her brother in Star City. She also began dating a certain forensic scientist for the Star City police department named Wally West. Wally planned on moving back to Central City in a year or two, or maybe even Keystone City. In the meantime, both young heroes wanted to stay disconnected from their hero personas and steer cleer of Central City in case someone decided to piece things together. As Aaralyn, she used a special makeup Batman had given her to cover her scars from the battle with Celesteon. When she was Faith, she would uncover them, which helped in separating her different identities from the public eye. She was very thankful for it.

As for how the rest of their relationship goes? Only time will tell.


End file.
